China-Pakistan Study Centre (CPSC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) hosted a webinar on “Covid 19: Learning from China’s Experience” on June 11, 2020. Mr. Zahoor Ahmed, Additional Secretary (Asia-Pacific), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was the Chief Guest while H.E. Yao Jing, Ambassador of People’s Republic of China was the Keynote Speaker at the occasion. The webinar brought together China focused Institutes and Centres across Pakistan. Panelists included Directors of leading China Study Centers situated in Gilgit, Islamabad, Peshawar, Jamshoro, Lahore, Sargodha, Quetta and Muzaffarabad.. The session was moderated by Director CPSC, Dr. Talat Shabbir.
Dr. Talat Shabbir in his introductory remarks thanked panelists for graciously attending the webinar, which highlighted the importance China Study Centers give to learning from China’s experience in fight against the pandemic. He underscored that research institutions have played a crucial role in creating awareness about the on-going pandemic situation. Dr. Shabbir further stated that the outbreak of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill, which has affected almost every aspect of human lives. It has created a crisis, which is unparalleled in human history. This crisis has exposed fragile not only the global health care structure but also of individual states. In wake of this unusual crisis, China showed unprecedented strength and unity to counter the looming threat. China has exploited the pioneering role of science and technology and fully applied the results of scientific and technical innovation in its fight against COVID-19. Thus it offers a model for international community to deal with this crisis. Pakistan in particular, can see what lessons can it learn from China’s experience and strategies adopted to minimize the spread of COVID-19, despite being the first epicenter of the virus.
