While much remains unknown of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Beijing’s response to the public health crisis can be characterized by a lack of decisive action at the crucial initial stage of the outbreak, followed by aggressive corrective measures.

Interview with Dr. Bernhard Schwartländer,Chef de Cabinet and Assistant Director-Generalof the World Health Organization,on the outbreak of novel coronavir

The epidemic will end, and when it does, China and the United States should build on the positive things that flowed from it. Cooperation need not wait for an invasion by Martians.

In 2003, during the SARS crisis, I was still living in the U.S. In March of that year, based on data on the occurrence of newly confirmed cases since the first SARS case was identified in Guangdong in December 2002, and taking into account the isolation and quarantine measures then in place, I predicted that the epidemic would end in June, which it actually did. How did I manage to do so?

The 2019-nCov epidemic has become a common concern of the international community. Since the first infection was diagnosed in Wuhan in December 2019, the novel coronavirus has been spreading at a speed even beyond the expectation of medical experts. In response, the Chinese government mandated a quarantine of the Wuhan city on January 23, 2020; 31 provinces and municipalities, including Beijing and Shanghai, have also taken measures on first-level response to this major public health emergency.

The world needs to come up with a strong, multilateral solution for combatting climate change, and China's backing in this effort is essential.

As the Convention on Biological Diversity prepares to reconvene in 2020, it’s time to reflect on the efficacy of the convention’s efforts over the last 10 years. As the host next year, China could spur the world to greater action on biodiversity conservation.

China and the EU have showed a promising start on green finance, in part due to China’s speed and enthusiasm to encourage green investments, but stricter environmental standards are needed.

The excessive amount of plastic in the world’s oceans has wreaked havoc on the environment. Now, the biggest offender of plastic mismanagement, China, is taking steps to remedy its system and limit the amount of plastic waste it produces.

Scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China have discovered an alga-eating virus, bringing hope to the fight against toxic algae blooms.