Steven Orlins, President National Committee on US-China Relations, USA, spoke at the launching ceremony of Institute for Global Health and Development, Peking University (PKU-iGHD) and the Beijing Forum 2020: COVID-19 Shocks to Global Health and Development:
It is really a great honor to be here. I have to say that there's great joy this morning. There's great joy in the establishment of this important institution.
But today, I have to say I'm a little sad. Before Larry was president of Harvard, before Victor was dean at Harvard Medical School, before Professor Sachs was a professor, I was a young undergraduate at Harvard. Fifty-one years ago, my sophomore year, and a then young professor opened my eyes to China. He taught me my first course about China, and over these fifty-one years since he taught me that course, he's been my friend, my mentor, my inspiration, my adviser, and he spoke at Beida many times. Sadly, yesterday morning, Ezra F. Vogel ( FU Gaoyi to the Chinese audience) passed away, and it's heartbreaking for us. But I know if he were still around I would call him before I spoke tonight, and he would have told me that what you're doing here is emblematic of what China has become, and very much emblematic of what Peking University is, has been, and will be in the 21st century. He would have said this is really, really important. And it is really important.
There are so many distinguished friends and colleagues speaking today. It shows just how important this is. It's a testimony to the creation of this global institution. I'm particularly honored to speak with Justin Lin and GAO Fu, and to be invited by Gordon Liu. All three of those individuals have played an important role in strengthening the relationship between the National Committee on US-China Relations and Peking University. I don't know Justin Lin if you're still on, but let me tell you a trade secret. In 1986 when you were a PhD candidate at University of Chicago, we gave you your first job hosting an economic delegation that came from China then, and included ZHOU Xiaochuan, and many others.
Ten years ago, Justin, YAO Yang, who is now the Dean of the National School of Development at Peking University, and I, started the discussion of the creation of a track-II economic dialogue. Last week, that dialogue met for the twenty-first time. At this time of difficulty, this dialogue has recommended nonpolitical solutions to some of the difficult economic issues in US-China relations. It has repeatedly proved the value of the track-II model in improving the lives of Chinese, and Americans.
Five years ago, I approached Gordon Liu to discuss the possibility of creating a track-II dialogue between leading healthcare specialists from both countries. Gordon, as he’s so well able to do, saw over the horizon and recruited an outstanding group of specialists from China. The American specialists are led by our former FDA head Mark McClellan, who spoke earlier this morning, and the Chinese side by former vice minister of public health, LIU Qian. Because of their vision, this track-II has contributed to improved healthcare cooperation between the United States and China. There is not a day that goes by that I don't rejoice in the fact that as a non-healthcare specialist, I've participated in cooperation with Peking University that has led to healthier Chinese and American lives. So I rejoice in the creation of the Institute for Global Health and Development at Peking University.
Media always asks me if I'm an optimist or a pessimist about the future of US-China relations. If it is Chinese media, I respond, "That depends on what you report, and what the Chinese government does. China needs to change some of its policies." If it's American media, I respond, "That depends on what you report，and what the American government does. America needs to change some of its policies." I then elaborate by saying that in the long-term, I am an optimist because the future of US-China relations will be determined by the people of each country, and that a mother in Shanghai, and a mother in New York each has the same four fundamental fears. Each fears that climate change will cause the Huangpu River or Hudson River to overflow its banks and flood their homes. Each fears that terrorism will claim the lives of their children, or their friends as it did in New York on 9/11 or at the Kunming rail station. Each fears that economic crisis as it did in 2008, or even right now, will deprive their children of a better life. Finally, each fears that a pandemic will sweep away their families. Only cooperation, as GAO Fu just said, between the United States and China can combat these global threats.
I strongly believe that no matter what government did, the Chinese and American people would not allow the government to steal the future from their children. I therefore did not expect that the deterioration in the US-China relationship would prevent the kind of cooperation that would save lives on both sides of the Pacific. I did not expect that a pandemic which should have drawn us together, tore us apart. As we slowly emerge from this pandemic, we've heard everyone talk about the horrible numbers that still exist in the United States, but as we emerge today, I can only hope that this has been a teaching moment. A moment that the people in China and the people in the United States recognize that only together can we confront the 21st century illnesses that will confront both China and America; only together can we confront all of these transnational problems.
COVID-19 has been a tragedy, but as Larry Summers said, it won't be the last pandemic, and likely won't be the worst. Healthcare and illnesses know no boundaries. If my daughter suffers from cancer I don’t care whether the cure comes from Berlin, Beijing, or Boston. We need to focus on areas where cooperation can improve the health of Americans and Chinese.
We need regulatory harmonization where we align clinical manufacturing and post-market regulation that promotes greater efficiency among companies and government agencies working to bring vaccines and other drugs to market. We need to immediately work together to develop a communication strategy to combat skepticism among some segments of the public, especially in the US, about vaccines safety. As GAO Fu said, we need to increase transparency of and access to data that furthers vaccine development and treatment strategy.
The tragedy of COVID-19 has led to delivery of healthcare outside of the hospital system, through telemedicine and digital health for example. We Americans and Chinese need to share these expertises to work together to pave the way for more effective responses. I both hope and expect that Peking University’s School of Health and Development will lead the way. I congratulate you on having the vision to establish this important global institution at this critical time.
