by Yasir Habib Khan

 

China Economic Net has interviewed Chinese Consul General Lahore Mr. Long Dingbin on the issue of Coronavirus at his office to inform the public of the current situation of battle with novel coronavirus in China, as well as its impact on Pakistan-China trade and CPEC projects, etc. The whole interview is as followed:

 

 

Long Dingbin:  Second phase of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that took off from 1st January, 2020, is expected to open new vistas of trade between two countries. “I do not see Pak-China trade gets bedeviled given the grim situation. Business to Business environment can never be hurt as usually it is executed online or through phone and other mode of communication. As real challenge is to mitigate people to people contact that is very favorable for contagious disease. So it is highly recommended temporarily for minimum people to people meetings to prevent spread of virus,” he said.    

 

 

Mr. Long Dingbin: Pakistani students and citizens living in Wuhan are free to move within their university campuses as all essentials are found within the boundaries of their universities. Provided 14 days incubation time is over and no symptom is detected, they may fly back to their homeland as per their own choice abiding by prescribed health regulations laid down in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO), global institutions and Chinese health authorities.

 

As matter of fact, there is no travel embargo. Recently, flights from China to Pakistan brought many Pakistani students back to Pakistan. These Pakistanis had to undergo intense medical observations with quarantine and screening procedures. Having certified unaffected, they departed easily.

 

After one week, grave situation will be all set to improve. It is highly likely that as soon as Coronavirus cases decline during next days, panic scenario will subside. When the people will see entire life back to normalcy and Wuhan as bustling city, travel panic will phase out aucetomatically.

 

In my personal opinion and as per WHO recommendations, Pakistani students and all other nationalities in Wuhan and other cities should stay at their homes and defer their travel plans for the time being. Situation is going to change in few days dramatically as China is about to defeat the Coronavirus with full might.

 

China is now strengthening case treatment to reduce severe and fatal cases. We set up a national expert group on scientific research to speed up the development of vaccines. We accelerate the approval and clinical use of drugs proven to be effective against the virus. We have treated such vaccine formula on number of affectees who later got recovered gradually. So there is sign of good news ahead shortly. They are safer in China than anywhere else.

 

 

Mr. Long Dingbin:  News about suspension of CPEC projects are rumours. All of the projects including in the Punjab are running smoothly and under normal construction. Due to Chinese Spring Festival Holidays, the discontinuation came for three days from January 24 to January 26. On January 27, all work resumed accordingly.

 

Both the Sahiwal coal-fired power plant and the Bahawalpur Solar Park have been completed several years ago, and are currently in normal operation. The PKM project (Multan to Sukkur Section) was also completed last year. The Lahore Orange Line project and the Matiari to Lahore HVDC transmission line project are currently under normal construction and have not been affected by the epidemic prevention measures. We noticed that Nikkei Asian Review reported that CPEC project was postponed, which is not true.

 

In terms of all the Chinese staff that returned from China to Pakistan after availing their spring holidays, they had authentic clearance certificates from Chinese Health Authorities before resuming their work as per routine on CPEC projects. For precaution measure, Chinese national are still under observations and they are medically checked daily.

 

 

Mr. Long Dingbin: Since Chinese government is attaching high importance to the well-being of foreign nationals in China, especially Wuhan, Hubei, China has taken effective measures to address their concerns and needs in a timely manner. 

 

First, Hubei has set up a 24 hour hotline (027-87122256) for foreign citizens, students and tour groups in the province to access advice and assistance. In addition, its official website and the WeChat account of Hubei Foreign Office promptly relayed information on the epidemic situation and epidemic prevention knowledge in English, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. Many provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities like Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Xinjiang have sent open letters to foreign citizens working and living there, sharing with them information channels and designated treatment centers and offering services in light of local realities.

 

Second, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up a special column entitled "Fighting 2019-nCoV" on its website, gathering the latest information from the National Health Commission to keep foreign readers updated.

 

Third, to help equip foreign nationals in China with prevention know-how, the National Immigration Administration translated the Public Prevention of Pneumonia Caused by Novel Coronavirus released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention into six foreign languages, namely English, French, Russian, German, Japan and Korean. They are all readily available online.

 

All the measures China has taken have gone far beyond WHO recommendation and International Health Regulations (IHR). We are doing our best to contain the spread of the coronavirus within the shortest time possible. We have the confidence and the ability to win this battle. There is no need for any panic from foreign friends in China. As Director-General Dr. Tedros put it, quoted: “This is the time for facts, not fear. This is the time for science, not rumors. This is the time for solidarity, not stigma. China will continue to enhance cooperation with the international community in an open, transparent and highly responsible manner to safeguard the life and health of Chinese people and foreign nationals in China.”

 

 

Mr. Long Dingbin: The Chinese government has taken the most comprehensive and strict prevention and control measures after the outbreak of the epidemic, many of which have far exceeded what International Health Regulations required. President Xi Jinping has attached great importance and given several important instructions. The CPC Central Committee has set up a leading group for comprehensive prevention and control of the epidemic. The Chinese Government and people are making every effort to combat the epidemic. The central and local governments have built an all-round and multi-level prevention and control system especially focusing on Wuhan city and Hubei province. We are advancing the battle in an open, transparent, scientific and orderly manner.

 

The State Council of China has established a unified national dispatch system for epidemic prevention and control materials to timely coordinate the dispatch of medical personnel, medical supplies and daily necessities.

 

As the WHO Director-General noted, China is setting a new standard for outbreak response. In the same speech, he said specifically that declaring a public health emergency of international concern is not a vote of no confidence in China. On the contrary, WHO continues to have confidence in China's capacity to control the outbreak.

 

 

Mr. Long Dingbin: China is willing to work together with Pakistan to diagnose and prevent this epidemic to the best of its ability. The two governments have maintained close communication on this. At present, China has provided 1,000 test kits to Pakistan.

Arrangements have been made in Services hospital Lahore to deal with the Coronavirus cases with required medical facilities.  

 

 

Mr. Long Dingbin: on Feb. 3, Pakistan resumed flights between Pakistan and China, and the flights between Lahore and Urumqi will be resumed on Feb 6. China and Pakistan are iron brothers that share a good tradition of mutual assistance. As China fights the outbreak, Pakistan has stood firmly with us, maintaining flights and pooling medical supplies all over the country to help China. We are deeply grateful and touched by such trust and confidence. China will continue to work in close communication and coordination with Pakistan to safeguard the health of Pakistanis in China.

 

Yasir Habib Khan, Special Correspondent of China Economic Net, President of Institute of International Relations and Media Research