May 12 marks the first International Nurses Day since the COVID-19 pandemic began. A day earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent greetings to nurses across China. Xi said many nurses bravely marched to the coronavirus front lines in the noble spirit of respecting and protecting life. The president called for nurses to be better looked after and more efforts to be focused on strengthening the nursing workforce. Xi also urged nurses to pass on their fine tradition and keep contributing to China's healthcare development and global public health.