In coronavirus fight, the world learns from China

Jingzhou is an ancient city in the center of Hubei province, just over an hour's drive from Wuhan on the new superhighway.

During the historic Three Kingdoms period (220-280 CE), when a trio of nations vied for ultimate control over China, Jingzhou found itself surrounded by warring armies because of its strategic importance.

I have visited Jingzhou many times, stood on the ancient ramparts cresting thick stone walls, and thought on a historic legend.

The story goes that Zhuge Liang, master strategist of the Shu Kingdom, had his army surround Jingzhou. But as he did not have the resources to scale the walls, it was a stalemate. Meanwhile, a greater force from rival Cao Cao's army was on the attack, threatening both the Jingzhou and Shu kingdoms.

So what did Zhuge do?

He made a deal with Jingzhou. He wrote an IOU on a piece of paper offering to borrow the city for a season, with the promise to return it after the enemy was defeated by the joint Shu and Jingzhou forces.

After the city agreed to the deal, Zhuge's army entered Jingzhou, and with the army of that city-state repelled a common foe.

Sound familiar?

Wuhan is of key strategic importance to China.

This city of 15 million is smack in the center of the nation, and like Jingzhou once upon a time, is today a major center for supply lines and networks of transport spanning the nation, and in some ways beyond via the Belt and Road.

Moreover, today Wuhan is a center of scientific and technology research and development, making it even more strategically important than its historic predecessor.

After months of self-quarantine for its citizens and a lockdown of all movement of transport, Wuhan as a valve of connectivity across China has been shut down.

The city of Wuhan and its residents have made unprecedented sacrifices, not only for the people of China but the world as well. Effectively, China has "borrowed" Wuhan to save the world.

Assigned from the World Health Organization to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to lead the working group for a coronavirus emergency response, Bruce Aylward reflected on his recent inspection of the city.

"When speaking with people who we were working with in Wuhan, they said this is our role. We have to stop this disease and we are playing our role. Wuhan, the world is in your debt, and hopefully when this disease is finished we will have a chance to thank the people of Wuhan for the role they played in stopping it."

China has used unprecedented controls over movement and activity, in the city of Wuhan and across the nation to control the coronavirus and stop its spread.

While some Western countries criticized China and its methods, it nevertheless used a Chinese solution to fight the epidemic.

Now as the corona virus falls under control in China, it is spreading to other countries that are now not bashing China, but trying to study its example.

Aylward explained the world community is not ready, nor does it have the tools to contain coronavirus.

He said he suffered from the "same bias" as many outsiders until inspecting Wuhan. He explained in most countries people would seek new pharmaceuticals to fight a new pandemic, "and if they don't have them they throw up their hands. Rather, China said let's solve this problem, and pulled out old tools."

These included traditional Chinese medicine, and the economic management methodology of macro-economic control systems.

That means every level of management, from top to bottom, implements a policy decision and makes sure it is carried out without error.

As this incredibly dangerous pandemic spreads globally, Aylward emphasized how the "extraordinary effort" demonstrated through the example of China's response and methodology should be "shared with the rest of the world" and that "the rest of the world needs to know something can be done to save lives and prevent cases in what is a very difficult disease."

The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed his own deep thanks to the Chinese people, who "put aside their own happiness and gave sacrifice to give a contribution to all humanity."

Wuhan's sacrifices can never be paid back to the individuals suffering this loss.

However, the city will be rebuilt with unprecedented investments into the infrastructure and healthcare systems needed for the growth of this vital hub of China and the world.

Wuhan will be rebuilt, and will play an even more important role as the central hub of China's infrastructure connectivity.

Imagine the hospital and health care systems that will be part of the network of connectivity that will be the future Belt and Road system, as China seeks to not only address infrastructure and connectivity for trade and investment but the more pressing priorities of environmental, water and health security for all.

So it could be said that Zhuge Liang's idea of borrowing a city for a season to beat a common problem works, even today.

Laurence Brahm is a senior international fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, founding director of the Himalayan Consensus and co-chair of the Silk-Spice Road Dialogues.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.