Xi's visit to Wuhan signals new stage in anti-virus fight

In a sign that the Chinese authorities now have a firm grip on the novel coronavirus epidemic in the country, President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, on Tuesday.

His visit came when the last of the makeshift quarantine hospitals in the city was closed. And at a time when 70 percent of the 80,928 confirmed cases of infection in the country as of Tuesday afternoon－67,760 of them in Hubei－have recovered and been discharged from hospitals, and when most of the country outside the province, which has been the area hardest hit by the epidemic, has not seen any new local infections for days.

With the whole country united in the battle against the virus and Xi personally directing the fight, resources have been mobilized nationwide to effectively contain the virus in Hubei. The potency of these efforts has ensured that China, which just a month ago looked the most vulnerable to the virus, has become a stronghold in the global war against this dangerous public health threat.

In paying tribute to those who have fought on the front line in the city, which has been the most perilous battlefield, China's top leader was acknowledging the debt of gratitude the country and even the world owes them for securing a valuable window to rally forces to fight this common enemy.

And his visit looks set to not only consolidate the perception that with relentless countermeasures the virus can be defeated, but also mark the point at which the country switched more of its attention from fighting the pathogen on home soil to helping those battling it elsewhere.

Even while struggling to contain the virus on home soil, China has provided what assistance it could to other countries and regions in their fight to contain the contagion. It has always been aware－as the increasing number of imported cases indicates－that there are no bystanders in the global war against this common threat.

As such, China has never ceased providing information, funds and materials to help others even during the toughest part of its own battle.

With the domestic situation now showing clear signs of improvement, the resumption of industrial production and business operations now guarantees the country has greater capacity to aid other countries, which is not only to repay the goodwill and material support China received in its most difficult time from more than 170 countries and 40 international and regional organizations, but also to fulfill its responsibilities in the community of shared future for mankind that it envisions.

Health is the greatest of human blessings, and shared humanity is essential for a healthy global community.