U.S.-China Coronavirus Action Network
Global Fight Against COVID-19
COVID-19 is arguably the greatest global public health challenge of our time, jeopardizing the health and well-being and economies of the entire global community. The United States and China, as two of the world’s most populous nations and largest economies, need to lead the international effort to contain the further spread of COVID-19 and to mitigate the negative global health and socioeconomic impacts. There is a Chinese saying, feng yu tong zhou, meaning “wind and rain, we all are in the same boat”; and there is a western saying, “united we stand, divided we fall.” The novel coronavirus respects no national boundaries, political affiliations, ethnicities or socioeconomic status—we are all in the same boat. But the very interconnectedness of people, resources and economies that makes the coronavirus such a threat is also precisely our greatest weapon against the outbreak!
Established in January 2020 and chaired by Florence Fang, the U.S.-China Coronavirus Action Network (CAN) activated scientific, academic, industrial, non-profit and governmental resources from both countries in a coordinated effort to address the key challenges of containing the virus. By combining the capacities and efforts of each and every one of our networks and pooling collective resources and operations together to take decisive actions in this fight, we stand the best chance of battling this virus and eliminating it as soon as possible.
Highlights
- Facilitated PPE donations to U.S. and Chinese first responders totaling well over $1 million.
- Connected U.S. and Chinese health-care providers, businesses, federal and state agencies and others with resources for much-needed PPEs.
- Established a working group to study supplies to the health care supply chain, procuring PPE and other medical supplies for Missouri and Texas hospitals totaling $1 million.
- Connected U.S. and Chinese officials and businesses with resources for com-bating COVID-19, including testing kits, information on potential vaccines and innovative tools such as an antimicrobial adhesive.
- Organized numerous avenues for sharing information on resources and experiences in combating COVID-19, including a WeChat group, a digital newsletter and webinars.
Previous Work on Infectious Diseases
Since 2003, the Bush China Conference has organized path-breaking dialogues between the United States and China on preventing, preparing for and responding to emerging infectious diseases and pandemics, with the 2015 conference focusing exclusively on this topic.
Below are some examples of the many pathbreaking dialogues on U.S.-China cooperation on infectious diseases that the Foundation has organized over the years: