State governance, strength in organization key to China's anti-pandemic success

China's state governance, featuring high efficiency and a decentralized national system, and strength in organization have played a key role in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, a Sri Lanka-based political economist has said.

In an interview with Xinhua, Dr. Vagisha Gunasekera, a visiting Lecturer of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Colombo, said that a proactive prevention and control strategy characterizes China's response to the pandemic.

An effective central government and a resourceful and decentralized national system were crucial components in China's anti-pandemic response, Gunasekera said.

"Compared with other countries, China has a strong penetrative capacity and the (Chinese) people tend to comply with government directives. This state-society relationship makes it possible to mobilize communities to align with government-led programs instead of resisting them," she said.

Brushing off Western criticism on China's anti-pandemic controls and resistance by some Western citizens to the curtailment of personal freedoms, Gunasekera said that China's approach was "pragmatic and necessary" to contain the spread of the virus.

China's swift response, combined with a state-led policy stimulus, has provided a safety net for local industries and helped them ramp up production to supply goods to other countries affected by the pandemic, she said.

Meanwhile, Luxman Siriwardena, managing director of Sri Lanka-based policy and advocacy group Veemansa Initiative, told Xinhua that the strength of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in organization was another factor in successfully controlling the pandemic.

"The CPC's discipline and ability to manage the community at the rural level as well as in cities is not a structure that prevails in most other countries," Siriwardena said.

He noted that the Chinese economy has recovered because of the country's massive market, and Chinese enterprises have played a critical role in driving global demand and stabilizing the supply chain.

China's willingness to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic head-on as well as its commitment to opening up and a level playing field are also attractive to foreign direct investment, Siriwardena said.

"China's huge market and moderately prosperous society create demand. This provides an opportunity for multinationals and small-sized companies alike overseas to invest in China," he said.