Roland Boer's Blog, page 7

Introducing Zhong Nanshan: The hero of SARS and COVID-19

Zhong Nanshan is already a household name in China, known as the hero of SARS from 2002-2003 when he spoke plainly on the basis of seeking truth from facts the Chinese spirit. He is increasingly becoming an international name, as his advice is sought around the world concerning Chinas experience with COVID-19. When COVID-19 Continue reading Introducing Zhong Nanshan: The hero of SARS and COVID-19

How China Learned About SARS-CoV-2 in the Weeks Before the Global Pandemic

This article is copied from part 2 of an article on Independent Media (here). It also appeared on Counterpunch (here), to which I was directed by NT at Trades Hall Sydney. It also reinforces in more detail what I have been saying in various posts on this blog (here, here and here). The World Health Continue reading How China Learned About SARS-CoV-2 in the Weeks Before the Global Pandemic

Please quarantine politicising COVID-19: brilliant speech from WHO director-general

What a brilliant and powerful speech at the WHO daily press conference by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). Please quarantine politcising COVID-19 or you will have many more body bags. Yes indeed, health should be completely non-politicised. You can see the delusional USA shrinking even more as he Continue reading Please quarantine politicising COVID-19: brilliant speech from WHO director-general

Sunset of the West: a Chinese perspective

Today I read an extraordinary article. It is written by two Chinese scholars, Xue Ping and Gao Wenxing, and was published in the Inner Mongolia Normal Uiversity Journal (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition) in 2010. Ten years ago, it already expressed what we are seeing today with the sunset of the West. Here is a Continue reading Sunset of the West: a Chinese perspective

If I get COVID-19, I would want to be in China: Foreign experts on the China Model

No introduction needed, except for names. The first is Bruce Aylward, assistant director of WHo and director of the joint WHO-China joint mission. The second is Bill Brown, professor of Xiamen Universitys School of Management, who has been a permanent resident for almost 30 years.

A post-COVID-19 world: China, India and Russia to set the agenda

If the 2008 financial crisis signalled a seismic shift to Asia and away from the North Atlantic as the worlds economic powerhouse and centre of geopolitical strength, 2020 may well be its concluding phase. It was this article by Shishir Upadhyaya (here) that set me thinking. His basic proposition is that in light of significant Continue reading A post-COVID-19 world: China, India and Russia to set the agenda

Wuhan lockdown ends: a huge day and a significant sign of China’s success

While the 42,000 medical professionals that rushed to Wuhan return home to heroes welcomes, and as more accounts appear (here) of everyday volunteers and workers who kept the city running, Wuhan celebrates the end of its 76-day lockdown in a big way (see here).

Chinese economic resilience during an epidemic: how citizens are supported

The systemic dimension of Chinese economic resilience may be known by many, but there are also many features at the local and household level that make a distinct difference during the time of an epidemic, or indeed any other disaster. This article by Liang Xiaomin in the China Daily (here) explains in more detail: Most Continue reading Chinese economic resilience during an epidemic: how citizens are supported

Efficiency, transparency and collectivism: long reads

A series of long reads for the day. First, a piece in China Daily called Efficient measures key to containment (here). Second, a detailed timeline has been published by the State Council Information Office, called Timeline of China releasing information on COVID-19 and advancing international cooperation on epidemic response. The full text is available on Continue reading Efficiency, transparency and collectivism: long reads

DPRK (North Korea) has the most hospital beds per 1000 people

The following table gives an indication of how many hospital beds exist across a range of countries per 1000 people. The top spot goes to the DPRK (North Korea)! Further, note that the top two groups (above 5 per 1000) include most of the countries in the former Soviet Union, along with most that were Continue reading DPRK (North Korea) has the most hospital beds per 1000 people