EU-China cities discuss the management of COVID-19

On 9 April 2020, a second video conference was held under the city-to-city component of the EU’s International Urban Cooperation programme (IUC). Participating IUC cities from the EU were Mannheim, Stuttgart, Barcelona, Granada, Nice, Bologna, Rome and Greater Manchester together with Liuzhou (Guangxi Province) in China. The theme of the conference was the current COVID-19 pandemic and how city authorities can contain and mitigate its impact and prepare for eventual recovery. 

Located in the south of China, Liuzhou is also a participant city in IUC. It has not been severely affected by COVID-19 in terms of the health of the population – only 24 reported cases in a population of 4 million - but this is thanks in part to a comprehensive range of measures and effective coordination at all levels. Mr Wei Lin of Liuzhou’s Municipal Health Commission described the city’s approach to identifying sources of infection, cutting off its transmission and protecting people at risk. He said that quarantine and treatment were prioritized, and there was extensive disinfection in public places. The assembly of large groups was prohibited while events were cancelled. The authorities conducted door-to-door screenings of citizens and increased home visits by doctors. They organized forces of volunteers to participate in preventive measures, including promoting the ‘wash your hands’ campaign, and making sure medical personnel had sufficient PPE. Coordinated efforts involved setting up teams of medical, psychological and pandemic experts to work together. Communication was important with the transparent release of information on the state of the pandemic in the city, in order to reduce panic. 

Liuzhou’s automotive plant, SAIC-GM Wuling, was rapidly transformed into a production line for surgical grade masks, and Liuzhou has since been donating masks to European cities such as Rome. Coincidentally, on the day of the video-conference, Mannheim confirmed that they had just received a major consignment of high-grade masks from a long-standing Chinese partner city, Qingdao. Liuzhou has now restored industrial production, and the restaurant and service industry is getting back to normal. 

The EU-Asia component of IUC plans to continue video meetings to facilitate mutual learning between cities on both sides during the crisis, and to continue its valuable work of cooperation on sustainable urban development.

Presentation - Liuzhou: Experience of Fighting Covid-19