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China showed the international community that it is a responsible power when the SARS epidemic ripped through the country.
During the 1997 Asian financial crisis, China took a series of positive measures that helped improve its ties with other countries in the region. If China had not performed so well during the crisis, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would not have maintained such a good relationship as they have had during the past five years.
However, at the beginning of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in China, there were misgivings among the international community about the situation and China's measures to manage the public health crisis. The hard-won mutual trust between China and the international community was put to the test.
The Chinese Government adopted some positive measures, such as handling SARS in a more transparent way and acknowledging its faults in this respect.
These steps earned China the international support for its fight against SARS.
But in the process, China should realize that it still has a long way to go to further the mutual trust with the international community.
China should continue to co-operate with other Asian countries.
Since the end of the Cold War, East Asian nations have attached great importance to traditional security issues, ranging from the crisis on the Korean Peninsula to the Taiwan question. This situation only changed a little after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and the Bali bombings in Indonesia in October 2002.
The spread of SARS beyond one country is a typical new non-traditional security problem.
The SARS outbreak makes it necessary for the region to attach more importance to other non-traditional security issues besides terrorism, such as the epidemics outbreaks and environmental deterioration.
Co-operation and co-ordination among Asian countries in combating SARS have created the possibility of establishing regional "social" co-operation, such as co-operation in the fields of preventing the spread of epidemics and improving the environment.
China is actively seeking to build a comprehensive co-operative relationship with other East Asian countries.
On April 29, China and ASEAN signed a joint declaration on the prevention of SARS. This served as an effective and timely supplement to bilateral co-operation in non-traditional security fields.
When the country was enlisting all its forces to combat SARS, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attended a China-ASEAN summit meeting on the prevention of SARS on April 30 in Thailand.
The swift spread of SARS across East Asia fully exposed the interdependence of the countries in the region. It showed that co-operation in non-traditional security areas should be given the same attention as co-operation in the field of economics.
Certainly, East Asian co-operation should not concentrate on trade and finance alone. It should include co-operation in the field of public health. For instance, a new goal for regional co-operation was set when China proposed East Asia establish a special fund to fight SARS.
In addition, China should continue to nurture its ties with Western countries.
Chinese President Hu Jintao's attendance at the South-North leaders' dialogue meeting before the summit of the Group of Eight early this month in the French town of Evian was an important indicator of the development of China's ties with Western countries. At the summit, Hu met United States President George W. Bush and European Union leaders.
High-level talks between China and Western countries will inevitably help further develop China's ties with the United States and the European Union.
Such development of China's ties with the Group of Eight countries serves as an important milestone in bilateral relations since China adopted its policy of reform and opening-up in the late 1970s.
The fight against SARS has provided China with the opportunity to update its ideas about globalization. Undoubtedly, the country's experience in combating SARS will greatly contribute to other countries' efforts to prevent similar transnational epidemics.
China should promote the formation and perfection of relevant international regulations and mechanisms, and strengthen co-operation with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Attending the WHO Assembly on May 20, Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi reiterated to the international community that China, aware of its interdependence with other countries, would like to give a major contribution to a global fund to counter SARS.
This served as another major move taken by China following Premier Wen's proposal to establish a regional SARS prevention foundation in East Asia.
The author is a researcher with the Institute of International Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
(China Daily June 30, 2003)
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