The meeting commending heroes in China's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has ended in Beijing.

China is committed to actively pursuing the development of "a community with a shared future for mankind," which is a principle widely accepted and welcomed by world leaders, said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday. He was addressing an awards ceremony to honor outstanding individuals and organizations in the fight against COVID-19 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Public health security is a common challenge for humanity, which requires joint efforts from all countries. During his address, Xi lauded the contributions and sacrifices made by Chinese people in the fight against COVID-19.

President Xi said China will continue to empower all the regional corporations and unswervingly advocate "more inclusive global governance and more effective multilateral mechanism," besides "helping set up panels tackling the regional challenges collectively, including global agendas like counter-terrorism, climate change, cyber security and biological safety."

The virus respects no borders and rages from continent to continent, claiming lives both at luxury cruise ships and refugee camps. As of Tuesday, the Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus resource center has recorded 27,249,308 COVID-19 cases worldwide, including 890,971 deaths.

Over the past months, China has shared technical documents on treatment protocols and containment strategies with a total of 180 countries and over 10 international and regional organizations. Beginning March, Chinese experts held video conferences with their foreign peers almost on a daily basis.

(Cover photo: Packages of protective masks from China arrive in Liege International Airport, Belgium, March 16, 2020. /Xinhua)

Millions of medical workers fought on the front line in the battle against COVID-19, risking their lives saving many others. They are the ones who brought light and hope to the nation at a dark time, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at an awards ceremony honoring outstanding individuals in the COVID-19 fight in Beijing on Tuesday.

About 540,000 medical workers in Hubei Province were the first to answer the nation's call during the Chinese New Year holiday, followed by 42,000 peers selected from 346 medical teams from hospitals across China to support the local medical system in Wuhan, said Xi. 

Among them were top experts, military medics, experienced doctors and nurses of various disciplines from the country's best hospitals.

At the initial stage, tens of thousands of healthcare workers across the country devoted themselves to the fight against COVID-19, racing against time to save lives and safeguard people's health and safety.

One of the individuals recognized on Tuesday was Zhong Nanshan, a respiratory expert who identified the SARS virus in 2003 and has been leading China's efforts in the fight against COVID-19. 

All medical professionals put people's lives and health first and foremost, said Zhong. "We respected the facts and followed the science, and gave everything we've got to the battle to fight COVID-19."

Though China has achieved victory in the battle against COVID-19, "We must not lower our guard and finish the battle as we have begun," he stressed. "We will work with medical workers from all over the country and the world to make continuous efforts in tracing the origin of the virus, cutting off transmission, rapid diagnosis, drug development, treatment for severe cases and vaccine development, so as to make greater contribution to the global fight against COVID-19 as well as building a global community of health for all."

"People have entrusted us with their lives and health, that's why we went into the medical profession. And it is the mission of our doctors and nurses to ensure the health and safety of the people," said Zhong.

"The nation, the people, and history will never forget them," said Xi. "Their names will be etched on the monument of the republic."

When a type of pneumonia with unknown cause was first found in Wuhan last December, there was little knowledge about how it sickened people, how it spread, and how to treat it. But, the work of medical professions helped contain the virus in China by April.

As of August, the overall recovery rate of COVID-19 patients was 93.5 percent across China, and that of severe patients and critically ill patients stood at 98.55 percent and 77.44 percent respectively.

The younger generation is the hope of the nation, and their devotions were touching and heartwarming, said Chinese President Xi Jinping at a meeting to honor role models in the fight against COVID-19 on Tuesday morning.

He said nearly half of the medical staff working on the front line are the younger generation born in the 1990s and 2000s.

"They said something that touched the whole nation: 'During the SARS epidemic in 2003, you protected us, and now it is our turn to return the favor,'" the Chinese president said, adding that there is no savior descending from heaven, only ordinary people who stepped up in harm's way.

"The younger generation shows no fear confronting hardships, and they have carried daunting responsibilities on their shoulders with great passion. They have proved that they are the hope of the nation," the Chinese president said, calling on everyone to commend them.

Over 40,000 medical workers across the country rushed to Wuhan when the city was devastated by the outbreak of COVID-19. About one third of them were born in the 1990s and 2000s.

In the intensive care unit of Wuchang Hospital, one of the hot zones in Wuhan, three quarters of the medical workers belong to the "Post-90s" generation.

(Cover image: An ICU medical worker reunites with her husband in Zhejiang Province, April 14, 2020. /CFP)

In times of the unexpected COVID-19 outbreak, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has maintained its grasp over the situation while taking decisive actions, said General Secretary Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

The Party has continued to put people's health and safety first, he stressed.

General Secretary Xi Jinping of the CPC Central Committee, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at the ceremony to award outstanding individuals and organizations in the fight against COVID-19.

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Live: China honors people fighting COVID-19 with national medals

Last December, the novel coronavirus outbreak was first reported in central China's Hubei Province and immediately sprawled across the country. Thanks to the stringent and thorough social distancing measures taken from the start of 2020, China was able to bring local infections down to single digits in just two months.

"The COVID-19 fight in China fully showed Chinese people's spirit, the country's strength and its determination to shoulder responsibilities," Xi said.

"We were not giving up on any single patient."

The Chinese president also highlighted the people's role in the fight, lauding them for building a solid line of defense against the pandemic.

They've made great sacrifices and contributions to the fight, Xi said.

Xi delivers speech at the meeting commending heroes in China's fight against COVID-19 pandemic

Chinese President Xi Jinping is delivering a speech at the meeting commending heroes in China's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zhong Nanshan: All medics put people's lives first and foremost  

All medical professionals are putting people's lives first and foremost, said China's renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan after receiving the Medal of the Republic, the highest state honor, for his outstanding contribution to fighting the COVID-19 epidemic. 

"We must not lower our guard and must finish the battle," he said in a speech at the awarding ceremony in Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping presented medals to recipients of the Medal of the Republic and the national honorary title for their outstanding contributions to the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, at an awards ceremony Tuesday morning in Beijing.

The Medal of the Republic was conferred on renowned respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan.

The national honorary title, "the People's Hero," was conferred on Zhang Boli, a traditional Chinese medicine expert who presided over the research of the COVID-19 treatment scheme combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, Zhang Dingyu, president of Wuhan's designated Jinyintan Hospital, and Chen Wei, a military medical scientist who recorded major achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and development of vaccine and protective medicine.

President Xi presents the Medal of the Republic to China's top respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan.

Li Zhanshu reads a presidential decree signed by Xi Jinping to award four individuals with either the Medal of the Republic or the national honorary title, "the People's Hero".

A moment of silence is being observed at the awards ceremony for the lives lost in the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The meeting commending role models in China's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is underway at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Chinese leaders led by Xi Jinping met with role models in China's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic in Beijing on Tuesday morning. A group photo was taken prior to a meeting to commend the role models.

Chen Wei: She-power behind China's first COVID-19 vaccine

From SARS and Ebola to COVID-19, 54-year-old Chen Wei has spent half of her life fighting against life-threatening viruses.

A mother, daughter and wife, Dr. Chen is a female general in the Chinese People's Liberation Army. She came back in the spotlight after she led the team developing China's first COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Chen was recalled to Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, one day after the Chinese Lunar New Year, the biggest holiday in China for family reunion. She and her team didn't waste a minute to work at a makeshift lab for research and testing upon arrival. And almost 50 days later, the first vaccine was ready for clinical trials.

Zhang Boli: Impressing the world with the power of TCM

Zhang Boli, 72, has made the world recognize the power of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) by leading an expert team to support the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic in central China's Wuhan City. 

The medical team was stationed at a makeshift hospital in Wuhan's Jiangxia District and used TCM decoctions with other treatments to treat COVID-19 patients. Zhang was awarded the title of "The People's Hero" on August 11 for his outstanding contribution to the fight against COVID-19.

Zhang Dingyu: Hospital head who led the COVID-19 battle in Wuhan

Zhang Dingyu is the head of Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, the former epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic in China. He led the allocation and treatment work for over 2,800 COVID-19 patients, many of whom were serious or critical. 

Zhang himself suffers from the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but kept working day and night. Zhang was awarded the national honorary title of "The People's Hero" on August 11.

Zhong Nanshan: A respiratory expert bearing the nation's trust

"Bring all critically ill patients to me."

During the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, caused by a coronavirus, Chinese pulmonologist Zhong Nanshan helped the country control the epidemic with his expertise and transparency.

Around 17 years later, he again spearheaded the country's fight against the outbreak of a new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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An awarding ceremony will be held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to honor outstanding individuals and organizations in the fight against COVID-19.

The ceremony comes after President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order on August 11 to award four people for their outstanding contributions. Zhong Nanshan was awarded the Medal of the Republic while Zhang Boli, Zhang Dingyu and Chen Wei, each the national honorary title The People's Hero.

The awardees are arriving at the Great Hall of the People. Stay tuned to CGTN for more.

An awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday morning at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to honor outstanding individuals and organizations in the fight against COVID-19.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will present medals to four individuals among others for their outstanding contributions in the fight.

The four awardees are Zhong Nanshan, a top respiratory expert who identified the SARS virus in 2003 and Chinese government's leading expert in the fight against COVID-19; Zhang Boli, a traditional Chinese medicine expert who presided over the research of the COVID-19 treatment scheme combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine; Zhang Dingyu, head of Wuhan's designated coronavirus-treating Jinyintan Hospital, and Chen Wei, a military medical scientist who made major achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and development of vaccine and protective medicine.

The ceremony came following Xi's presidential order on August 11, which awards four people for their outstanding contributions. Zhong was awarded the Medal of the Republic while the remaining three were given the national honorary title "The People's Hero." 

Xi will also make a speech at the September 8 ceremony.