My take-aways from 2020 Munich Security Conference (4)

Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during the 56th Munich Security Conference held in Munich, Germany, Feb 15, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

4, China's nationwide efforts to contain the COVID-19 epidemic has received the sympathy and support

The WHO and its experts participated in this MSC session with an unusually high profile, talking at length about the tremendous endeavors made and heavy prices paid by China in fighting the epidemic, calling on the international community to lend a helping hand and join the epidemic control efforts. WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised China for winning time for the world. WHO experts appealed to the world to prepare for the possible further spreading of the epidemic and especially to support China in developing vaccine and medicines.

State Councilor Wang Yi and Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang elaborated on the Party and government's all-out campaign against the epidemic and the people's unified efforts at the general session and the public health Town-Hall meeting respectively, winning support from the participants. Though there are still biases regarding China, there were increasing voices sympathetic for and supportive of China at the MSC. Summing up the conference on the closing day, MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger said China has truly made great efforts for meeting the tremendous medical challenge, it deserves support and encouragement, instead of being criticized and blamed. Some people from European business communities expressed hope that China would come up with concrete lists of needs, so as to facilitate targeted donations.

WHO experts believe despite the twists in coping with the epidemic, China displayed strong capabilities. If China's experiences can be summed up and developed into models and templates for other nation as reference, it will be valuable international public goods.

One thing I learned from this MSC session is that as China-US relations become tense and deteriorate, the role of such third-parties as Europe becomes both important and valuable. Most of these countries don't want to see China-US fall into vicious competition resulting in the division or collapse of the international system, or China-US technological decoupling impeding human progress. They hope China may play a more active role in preserving global common interests, expect China to sincerely preserve multilateralism, rather than take a selective approach to multilateralism out of self interest just like the US. Meanwhile, they are striving to safeguard Europe's own interests and position amid a changing global order. Against the backdrop of China-US competition, Europe can't play outsider, but it's not willing to take sides, and wants to play a greater role itself. And the strategy of checks and balances Europe adopts has contributed to enhancing global multilateralism. Therefore, we should communicate more with all parties, increase mutual understanding, enhance the world's consensus on and synergy for promoting the building of a community with a shared future.

The author is a former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Director of Tsinghua University Center for Strategy and Security. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.