China shows its strength in adversity
China has faced the novel coronavirus challenge with a great degree of strength and resilience. In the United Arab Emirates, we are amazed at the remarkable response of the Chinese government and the Chinese people.
The government and people of the UAE would like to offer their support during this challenging time for China. We resolutely stand in solidarity with China to support the country in its hour of need.
Indeed, we have great confidence that China will get past this epidemic quickly. In fact, there are positive signs such as the International Monetary Fund expressing its support to China's efforts to tackle the novel coronavirus outbreak and expressing confidence that China's economy "remains resilient".
The challenges are unquestionably great, however this has come at a time when China has never been so well-prepared for such challenges. China's approach to dealing with this situation is admirable and it is truly astounding what it has managed to do. For example, the rapid construction of two huge field hospitals in Wuhan with a combined capacity of 2,500 beds. One of them, Huoshenshan Hospital, was completed in just 10 days and it is already operational.
This demonstrates the characteristic strength of the Chinese in the face of adversity.
In its 70 years, the People's Republic of China has faced great challenges. But each time, the country has successfully overcome them. It has also raised a huge number of people out of poverty within a short period of time－the number of poor people in China has declined from 100 million in late 2012 to 16.6 million by the end of 2018. This means that in just six years, the poor population has been reduced by 80 percent.
This illustrates an important point－when the Chinese government focuses its efforts on challenges, it can achieve remarkable results.
The leadership of the People's Republic of China has been swift and responsive in its efforts to contain the virus. They have effectively quarantined Wuhan and its surrounding areas and strengthened medical support for the stricken area. I would echo the words of the director-general of the World Health Organization who said, "If it weren't for China's efforts, the number of cases outside China would have been very much higher."
The UAE leadership stands resolutely with the Chinese government in support of their commendable efforts to deal with the coronavirus and it has great faith in their significant capabilities to overcome this challenge. The strength and fortitude of the Chinese nation is shining through and we can see a collective pulling together across many layers of Chinese society.
Our nation intends to support China as best it can by deepening healthcare cooperation and providing medical equipment where possible. Our country's artificial intelligence and cloud computing sectors have already launched a humanitarian initiative to support healthcare personnel in China trying to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak, through their pioneering AI-focused healthcare practice. Hundreds of thousands of units of essential goods such as surgical masks, medical gloves, goggles and protective clothing are also being relayed from the UAE to support the medical effort in the affected areas.
The positive efforts by the Chinese government to tackle the novel coronavirus are gradually bearing fruit and we encourage the Chinese people to stay strong and pull through this crisis. I am confident that this issue will be successfully tackled with China's characteristic strength of will to rise to the challenge.
