The Chinese Communist Party will work with the United Nations to set up a global humanitarian response depot and hub in China and help establish so-called “green corridors” to move essential goods quickly throughout the world following the coronavirus pandemic, President Xi Jinping said Monday.
Xi made the comment, with little elaboration, during a speech via video link to the 73rd World Health Assembly in which he also promised that China would cooperate with a World Health Organization-led probe into “global” handling of the coronavirus pandemic, once the outbreak has ended.
“China supports a comprehensive evaluation of the global response to the epidemic after the global epidemic is under control, to sum up experiences and remedy deficiencies,” Xi told the assembly, according to the South China Morning Post.
“This work needs a scientific and professional attitude, and needs to be led by the WHO; and the principles of objectivity and fairness need to be upheld,” he continued.
“Global industrial and supply chains must remain stable and unclogged if we are to restore growth to the economy of the world.”
He also defended the Chinese Communist Party’s handling of the outbreak, which originated in the bustling city of Wuhan before spreading across the world, noting that China had publicly released the genome sequence for the virus on Jan. 12, less than two weeks after researchers identified a cluster of the novel coronavirus in late December.
“All along, we have acted with openness, transparency and responsibility. We have provided information to the WHO and the relevant countries in the most timely fashion,” he said.
“We released the genome sequence at the earliest possible time. We have shared control and treatment experience with the world without reservation.”
Xi’s comments came as a resolution pushed by the European Union and Australia calling for a review of the origin and spread of the novel coronavirus gathers international support.
The pandemic has killed more than 310,000 people globally, including roughly 90,000 in the US.
China had previously opposed calls for such investigations from Washington and Canberra, but Xi signaled on Monday that Beijing would be amenable to an impartial review.
Xi also pledged $2 billion in financial support over the next two years to help deal with COVID-19, especially to help developing countries.
China will also make self-developed COVID-19 vaccines available to other countries to help with the efforts to curb the pandemic, he said.
With Post wires