Analysis of Changes in China’s Insfectious Disease Response System: Focusing on Response to COVID-19

Analysis of Changes in China’s Insfectious Disease Response System: Focusing on Response to COVID-19

(Purpose) This paper analyzes the changes and characteristics of the Chinese government's newly established infectious disease response system to respond to COVID-19, and derives important policy implications for international cooperation to respond to infectious diseases. (Design/methodology/approach) This paper examines the establishment of a legal system related to infectious diseases in China and examines changes in the structure and function of organizations responding to infectious diseases before and after COVID-19 through the analysis of the Chinese government's response to COVID-19. (Findings) To effectively respond to infectious diseases, the Chinese government has shifted from a unified response system centered on the China Disease Prevention and Control Center, a public institution, to a dual response system centered on the national disease prevention and control bureau. In addition, while establishing a dual response system to respond to infectious diseases, it seeks to strengthen professionalism by sharing roles, such as strengthening the control tower function of the National Disease Prevention and Control Bureau and strengthening the research and education function of the China Disease Prevention and Control Center. (Research implications or Originality) Since China has a large land and a large population, it is inevitably more vulnerable to infectious diseases, and through SARS and COVID-19 rules, it provided an opportunity to strengthen its capacity to respond to unexpected large-scale infectious diseases, and recognized the need for an international cooperation system due to the nature of infectious diseases. China's infectious disease response system, which shows strong government-led characteristics, is expected to give important policy implications not only for Korea but also for Asian countries.