Chronicle of an Epic War

White paper details China’s fight against COVID-19 and calls for global solidarity and cooperation

- Lu Yan

On June 7, the State Council Information Office issued a white paper on China’s battle against COVID-19. Titled Fighting COVID 19: China in Action, the white paper gives a detailed, chronological account of the government and the people’s efforts to contain the epidemic.

A hard-fought battle

COVID-19 has spread faster and wider than any other illness since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the white paper says. “Facing this unknown, unexpected, and devastating disease, China has launched a resolute battle to prevent and control its spread,” it states.

Making people’s lives and health its top priority, China has succeeded in putting the epidemic under control. According to the white paper, the spread of the virus was contained in a little more than a month; in around two months, the daily increase in domestic cases had fallen to single digits; and in approximately three months, a decisive victory was secured in the battle to defend Hubei Province and its capital city of Wuhan.

This achievement did not come easily for a country with a population of 1.4 billion.

The white paper divides China’s fight against the coronavirus into five stages. In the first stage from December 27, 2019, to January 19, swift actions were taken immediately after cases of pneumonia of unknown cause were identified in Wuhan. Etiological and epidemiological investigations were undertaken to stop the spread of the disease, and the epidemic situation was promptly reported. The country then launched a nationwide program of epidemic prevention and control.