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Adaptation is the Key Characteristic
of China’s Policy against COVID-19

Published

3 years ago

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Adaptation is the Key Characteristic
of China’s Policy against COVID-19

By CUI Jianchun

On the New Year’s eve, Chinese President XI Jinping, at his 2023 New Year Address, extended greetings to all nationals as well as friends and people in the world, while claiming that, since COVID-19 struck, China has prevailed over unprecedented difficulties and challenges. China has entered a new phase of COVID response, where tough challenges remain. Everyone is holding on with great fortitude, and the light of hope is right in front of us.
After three year’s fighting against the pandemic, the whole world is much more convinced that, virus itself is the common enemy of all human beings. Till now, the coronavirus is still lingering over the world, with far-reaching social, economic and political consequences in different countries, and also with its sub-variants, such as Omicron, prevalent in many countries including China.

From the very beginning of its response against the pandemic, China has always taken responsible policies on a science-based and targeted approach, by putting people and their lives above all else, and by adapting measures dynamically and proactively. It has been proved and widely recognized that China’s COVID response policies over the past three years have realized the goal of achieving the best results at the least cost.

In the past three years, China has provided the greatest extent possible of protection to the people. China has made the best effort to protect the life and health of its 1.4bn people, and poured all resources into treating every patient, no matter its own nationals or foreigners living there. China has effectively responded to five global COVID waves, and avoided widespread infections with the original strain and the Delta variant, which are relatively more pathogenic than the current spreading variants. Globally, China has had the lowest rates of infection and mortality. Despite the pandemic, average life expectancy in China rose from 77.93 years in 2020 to 78.2 years in 2021.

In the past three years, China has witnessed the stability of its economy and also its supply chain to the world. One of the key focuses of China COVID policy is to minimize the impact of the pandemic on economic and social development. With joint efforts of the whole country, China’s economy has managed to consolidate its resilience and maintain sound fundamentals, making it a reliable driving force of global economic growth.

The country’s GDP expanded at an average annual rate of 4.6 percent from the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2022, which is well above the world average, according to data released by the OECD. Besides, China has also led the world in terms of trade volume, goods production and energy production, and kept its inflation rate at a relatively low level. Chinese people’s basic livelihood has been guaranteed during the pandemic. In 2022, despite a global food crisis, China has secured a bumper harvest for the 19th year in a row.

In the past three years, China has witnessed the large-scale vaccination internally. China’s efficient response policies have bought precious time for researching and developing vaccines and medicine, and raising the vaccination rate of the whole population. As of last December, more than 3.46 bn COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered on the Chinese mainland, with over 90 percent of the population fully vaccinated.

However, due to most of the vaccination has been done a year ago, it is hard for a large part of the Chinese population to retain a high immunity level against various mutant strains. Recently, the second booster shot campaign has been pushing forward nationwide, with special attention on elderly people and people with serious underlying health conditions.
In the past three years, China has promoted the robust international solidarity. Since COVID-19 began, China has actively participated in international response. China shared the genome sequence of the virus at the earliest opportunity, making important contributions to the drug and vaccine research around the world. The competent authorities in China has kept regular communications with the WHO, carried out dialogues with partner countries to exchange technical experience, and shared information in a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with the law, aiming at an early global victory over the pandemic. Meanwhile, to strengthen global defenses, China has provided anti-pandemic materials to 153 countries and 15 international organizations, sent medical expert groups to 34 countries, and offered over 2.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations.

In the last quarter of 2022, China adapted and refined its response policies, in line with a changed landscape of viral contagion. This shift is science-based, timely and necessary. It fully took into account of the much less pathogenic and deadly status of the globally spreading Omicron variant, as well as of the progress that China’s treatment, testing and vaccination capacity steadily on the rise, and would concentrate its response from stemming infection to caring for health and preventing severe cases.

According to this adaptation, people infected with coronavirus will no longer be quarantined and their close contacts will no longer be traced. Moreover, China is one step closer to fully opening to the outside, as domestic and foreign airlines will operate scheduled passenger flights, with limits on flights no longer applicable including closed management, nucleic acid testing, and quarantine measures.
Countries adjusting the COVID policy would invariably go through a period of adaptation. China is no exception.

However, China’s current COVID situation on the whole remains predictable and under control, as many cities have gone through the peak. This adaptation by China is also important from a strategic and long-term perspective, for effectively coordinating COVID response with economic and social development. American, British, German and other foreign chambers of commerce in China commend this downgrade adaptation, noting this will clear the way for resumption of people-to-people exchange and business travel, and enhance foreign investors’ confidence in the Chinese market.

Comparing with the natural virus, what we should be much more vigilant on is the political virus. As many international health experts indicate that, the main variant now spreading in China is the same one prevalent in other countries, it is senseless to impose extra restrictions on travelers from China. Political manipulation of COVID response measures by few countries would only bring chaos to world’s solidarity. In this regard, we highly commend the Federal Government of Nigeria for its science-based and proportionate COVID response measures, which has featured from the very beginning of its response.

The light of hope on final victory over pandemic is right in front of us. Just as appealed by President Xi at his New Year Address, “let’s make an extra effort to pull through, as perseverance and solidarity mean victory”.

  • H.E CUI Jianchun is the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria)

Adaptation is the Key Characteristic
of China’s Policy against COVID-19

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Columns

Companies: Season of Dividends Declaration and Payments for Her Shareholders Worth Billions of Naira

Published

16 hours ago

on

April 21, 2026

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Companies: Season of Dividends Declaration and Payments for Her Shareholders Worth Billions of Naira

By: Balami Lazarus

This piece made me recall my attempt to write the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) examinations years ago that I cannot remember now. I deliberately failed to continue with no reasons to give or shift blame as an escape route, which humans many do to console themselves of their failures. I (the writer) have learned never to do that.

However, no knowledge or experience is a waste for a wiseman. Hence, this work is derived from the knowledge gotten from the handouts and books I read on capital, equity, and/or stock market investments, where patience is the guiding principle as an investor taking into consideration this formula: Money > Units (Stocks) × Time + Patience = capital appreciations/dividends.

Many Nigerians are unaware of this equity/capital market. And if they do, they lack knowledge on what to do and how to invest in this market (kasuwan hanun jari).

It will shock you to know that there are so many share certificates in the hands of the citizens, amounting to thousands of units of shares worth billions of naira put together, laying fallow, not knowing what to do with them.

For I have seen many and assisted friends and relatives on what to do. Thanks for the digitalization of the market; it has made things much easier for investors and traders, including dividend payments currently taking place.

And surprisingly, there is over $190 billion in unclaimed dividends in the coffers of the federal government under the watch of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is the regulatory body.

This large amount of money came as a result of some shareholders not knowing how to claim their dividends. While others may be due to the attitudes of procrastination.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), now officially Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, which is run as a public liability company guided by the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), with its nomenclature as (NGX), also has her stocks traded on the exchange floor at Lagos.

I will not say much on the NGX. But be informed it is the trading floor of public companies’ stocks listed with the exchange where traders and investors can buy and sell their stocks or simply shares from Mondays to Fridays (5 times) in a week from 9am to 2pm daily.

Every year most companies hold their Annual General Meeting (AGM), informing their shareholders of the progress of their companies and whether or not to declare dividends to their shareholders depending on the strength of profits after tax (PAT) to those whose names appear on the list of the company registrars before the date of declaration.

The season of dividend declarations is most times done in April through June of each year. However, companies’ dividends vary in the sum of money paid to their shareholders depending on their units’ holdings in each company as part owners.

Dividends have added monetary value to shareholders and, by extension, improved the capacity of small- and medium-scale businesses in the economy because of the large amounts of money that have been paid into their various accounts either as individuals or as business enterprises.

Investors and capital market watchers are one group in society that is better informed on this segment of the Nigerian economy. And the investing group of citizens are making millions upon millions of naira from their investments in the market.

Take Guaranty Trust Company (GTCO) Plc, owners of Guaranty Trust Bank, as an example. Having declared a dividend of 11.67kobo per share for her shareholders. And assuming you, the reader, have a shareholding of only 1 million units. #11.67k x 1m = to #11,670,000 less 10% withholding tax (WHT), you will be credited with #10,503,000 your dividend as return on investment (RoI) on 28th April 2026 payment date.

What a profitable investment/dividend payment season.

Balami, Publisher/Columnist. 08036779290

Companies: Season of Dividends Declaration and Payments for Her Shareholders Worth Billions of Naira

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Jos: Living in Conflicts and Crisis for a Quarter of a Century: Where Peace Became Paranormal Stranger (2)

Published

4 days ago

on

April 17, 2026

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Jos: Living in Conflicts and Crisis for a Quarter of a Century: Where Peace Became Paranormal Stranger (2)

By: Balami Lazarus

How do we find lasting solutions to the conflicts and crises in Jos? How do we go about the general insecurity facing the nation? While the utterances of some highly placed Nigerians like Godswill Akpabio, Nuhu Ribadu, Sheik Gumi, and others are fuelling this aged monster called

insecurity and its perpetrators that is burning us to the third degree.

I have radical lasting solutions to the conflicts and crises in Jos. And the general insecurity we allowed ourselves to be webbed in it.

The lingering civil unrest in Jos has fast-forwarded the insecurity in the city. It has also intensified killings, kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism in guerrilla-style attacks, as in the case of Ungwan Rukuba, 29th March, 2026.

Reportedly, there are lots of guns in the hands of many citizens of Plateau State unlicenced. In fact, Nigerians are now leveraging the provisions of the law for self-defense.

But how far and to what extent can we defend ourselves against these bandits or terrorists that are armed with sophisticated firearms? While in Jos, they (terrorists/bandits) are taking advantage of our disunity to launch mayhem on us living in the city.

The recent attacks by unknown gunmen in the city center (Ungwan Rukuba) show the extent of how we have failed in our unity. And that allegedly no arrest has been made. Rather innocent youths of the said area were arrested and are now treated as suspects of the gruesome killings.

Now let me begin to reel out my radical solutions on these issues that have eaten deep into our bone marrows.

Indeed, the need for well-equipped and armed standing state and local government police is a necessity for state security and protection of lives and property of the citizens that will in turn propel

and enhanced our national security, because this issue has engulfed the country.

The conflicts and crises in Jos have always been generated from within by some individuals or groups of persons who lack peaceful coexistence in their DNA.

The immediate thing to do is for each and every ward to organize, train, and arm their vigilante groups with assault rifles. An example of one such group is the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) of Maiduguri in Borno state. This vigilante group is doing well in protecting the city. I commend them.

I hereby believe the application of the method aforementioned will bring back peace as a permanent resident in Jos but not as an itinerant. Because it is only in the Jos Plateau that peace is always travelling, and you hear us saying, “Peace has returned.”

The government and the people are now paying dearly for the consequences of the inactions and deliberate refusal of the recent past and present administrations—federal and state—to take decisive actions to bring an end to these compounded insecurities destroying the polity.

I am one individual who holds strong beliefs and believes in radical ways of finding solutions to problematic issues.

Using Plateau State as an example, where incessant killings are a permanent feature. Therefore, Nigerians should begin to agitate for the breakup of the country through peaceful means like a referendum or restructuring of our systems for a better Nigeria, on the one hand. It is now the right time for regions or groups to begin the process of secession as radical change for the good of the balkanization of the country, on the other.

Whereas if and when two can no longer live together in an agreed-upon and peaceful atmosphere, having exhausted reasonable avenues. What will be the next action?

And here we are. What are we going to do? Tell me sincerely and truthfully.

Balami, Publisher/Columnist 08036779290

Jos: Living in Conflicts and Crisis for a Quarter of a Century: Where Peace Became Paranormal Stranger (2)

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Jos: Living in Conflicts and Crisis for a Quarter of a Century; Where Peace Became a Paranormal Stranger (1)

Published

1 week ago

on

April 13, 2026

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Jos: Living in Conflicts and Crisis for a Quarter of a Century; Where Peace Became a Paranormal Stranger (1)

By: Balami Lazarus

Imagine a child born in Jos 25 years ago is today an adult by all standards, probably married with a child. And certainly the young man has passed through tense moments, conflicts, and crises that came with hatred, destruction, and killings among the citizens of the state where the lives of the young and the old were not spared.

Looking back with nostalgia when my peers and I were young secondary students in Plato College Sharam, peace was a permanent resident, residing in quietness and recollection when Jos was a melting point of coexistence among the inhabitants in both public and social life. What happened to the question tag?

The Jos conflicts/crisis has suffocated the metropolitan environment over time and space, pollinated by suspicion of ethno-religious and extremist teachings of ideologies in cells carried out by some elements that have created hatred and fear among the people.

Of late, this crisis has turned into terrorist and bandit attacks, claiming more lives than before. And for some residents, including this writer, it is no longer strange nor an item of public discussion in the affairs of some citizens. Because it has been with the people as a paranormal mystery for a quarter of a century (25 years).

However, the loss of lives is the most disturbing central theme in this crisis and/or attacks. Political and economic progress are stagnated; businesses are backstage affairs conducted with fear in a helter-skelter fashion in exchange for goods and services.

The hatchlings of these bloody conflicts and crises have manifested in no-go areas with devastating effects on the intra-micro commercial/corporate business transactions. Rebellion subjects, enemies of peace, have long polarized the city of Jos into ethno-religious and political divides.

The year 2001 was the beginning of Jos’s crisis that has become cyclical these several seasons within the Jos and Bukuru metropolises.

The attitudes of the affected and concerned citizens have illuminated the depths of their feelings, revealing a kaleidoscope of doubts as Nigerians. The Ungwan Rukuba killing spree and the decades of unrest in Jos have raised motions for the identity and reconstruction of the Nigerian state.

To be continued.

Balami, Publisher/Columnist. 08036779290

Jos: Living in Conflicts and Crisis for a Quarter of a Century; Where Peace Became a Paranormal Stranger (1)

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