People-centered 'gene' key to China's anti-virus war

The ongoing battle against the novel coronavirus has put the nation's medical, economic and social strength to test. At the root, it is a testament to the effectiveness of a governance system.

As the ruling party, the Communist Party of China (CPC) puts the people's interests as the top priority. Its governance concept is engraved with a "people-centered" philosophy.

Party members charge ahead in the battle, playing a leading role in medical operations, research and virus prevention. No matter what positions they hold, those who fail to fulfill their responsibilities will be held accountable.

For instance, six officials in the city of Huanggang, neighboring the epidemic center of Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, have been fired over poor performance in handling the outbreak.

As a developing country, China needs to improve its public health system and response mechanism, although progress has been made in recent years.

However, once problems were exposed, responsive measures followed. As World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, the power of China's system and the effectiveness of its measures are "rarely seen in the world" and are "admirable."

"The level of commitment (of the leadership) in China is incredible; I will praise China again and again because its actions actually helped reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus to other countries," he said.

Based on the people-centered philosophy, transparency must be guaranteed. Chinese authorities regard withholding information as a crime. The construction of Huoshenshan and Leishenshan hospitals, two makeshift hospitals for novel coronavirus patients in suburban Wuhan, is live-streamed. As German Health Minister Jens Spahn said, China's information policy on the virus is transparent and works better.

The distribution of medical resources donated and allocated from all across the country is under close watch by the public. Once inappropriate distribution was found out, officials were seriously criticized and urged to correct their mistakes.

When a public health emergency occurs, some complaints and dissatisfaction would appear over inadequate capabilities to treat the patients and shortage in medical supplies. But the public has not lost confidence.

The society remains orderly. China has imposed a series of unprecedented safeguards, including postponing the return to school and tightening health screening on travelers nationwide. These measures, some announced almost overnight, receive a cooperative response from the public. The virus hit is not dividing the society but making the people more united.

To determine whether a political system is effective or not, the battle against the virus serves as a test, and the people have the final say.

Though anxieties in the face of an epidemic exist, it is a strong national consensus that the leadership of the CPC is the most crucial for China to withstand the crisis or any other difficulties on the country's development path.

The "people-centered" philosophy is the gene of China's governance system which serves the people and gains power from the people. With faith in this gene, China will win.