Experts: Global solidarity needed to fight COVID-19, economic slowdown

Xie Fuzhan, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in the opening remarks that solidarity and cooperation are the only way to prevail over the pandemic.

"Opening-up and cooperation are necessary to reboot the world economy," Xie said. "The impact of the pandemic has accelerated the accumulation of risks and exposed them, plunging the world economy into most severe recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Today, like never before, the international community needs more synergy in making economic policies and taking stronger action to fight back the pandemic.

"In a world where all countries are closely connected by the global industrial, supply and value chains, only by opening-up and sharing the market can we cope with the challenge and create greater development opportunities."

Xie added China is a major force in promoting global anti-epidemic cooperation and fueling the recovery of the world economy, as China has largely controlled the epidemic at home, with production and businesses going back to normalcy, the national economy recovering, and foreign trade and investment stabilizing with government’s effective measures and policies.

So far, China has donated $50 million to the World Health Organization and provided emergency medical supplies to more than 150 countries and international organizations.

"We should reject suspicion and doubt to build an open world economy," Zhou Shuchun, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily, said. "China is working to give full play to its domestic market, the largest in the world, and building a new model of development in which domestic economic networks play the primary role, and domestic and international economic networks complement each other. China will stay committed to further reform and opening up and will make new contributions to stabilize the world economy and advance globalization."

Zhou called for enhanced cooperation to make sure that peace and development remain the focus of the world.

"International relations in the post-war era teach us that interests of countries are closely inter-connected and that the future of mankind is increasingly linked together."

"In spite of the new changes in the international arena, we should always uphold multilateralism and reject Cold War mentality and unilateralism; pursue solidarity and coordination and oppose self-centrism and bullying; stay committed to win-win cooperation and refuse a zero-sum game and egoism.

"We should seek development in peace and pursue progress in development, plan for post-pandemic development with an open, cooperative and win-win mindset and work toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind," Zhou added.

Shamshad Akhtar, former under-secretary-general of United Nations and former executive director of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, said only through solidarity and cooperation can we conquer the virus and get through the current crisis.

Akhtar noted countries need to focus on key global issues and challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic, paying more attention to resolving their differences through cooperation and taking timely actions to deal with the crisis.

As China gradually brings the epidemic under control and its business is gradually back to normal, the country is now playing the role of "stabilizer" for the global economy while contributing to the global fight against the pandemic.

The pandemic has spread fiercely across the world and has had a huge impact on economic and social development. With people around the world struggling with this unprecedented public health crisis, the downward pressure on the global economy has been increasing with each passing day. And although China’s economy registered positive growth in the second quarter of this year, it is still under huge pressure.