It's been nearly three years since China launched the fight against COVID-19. During that time, China's relentless efforts protected its people and provided valuable experiences for the world.

The efforts also bought precious time to develop a scientific way to analyze and control the virus in the world's most populated country.

People's lives come first

The Chinese government considers people's life and health the top priority in policymaking.

When the virus was detected in Wuhan, the government decided to shut down traffic in and out of the city. It took China three months to contain the virus in Wuhan and stop it from rippling to other parts of the country.

Though China remains a developing country, people's life expectancy rose from 77.4 in 2019 to 77.93 in 2020 and 78.2 in 2021.

According to official statements, China has the lowest COVID-19 incidence rate and the lowest number of COVID-19 deaths among major countries.

Science and precision

China's control of the epidemic is science-based and with precision. The policies are dynamic, with incremental changes applied as scientists gain more knowledge about the virus.

The government has published nine versions of guidelines as the dominant variants moved from Alpha to Beta to Delta and now Omicron.

More than 90 percent of people in China have been fully vaccinated, and the government has moved on to persuading more senior residents to get the shot. Inhalable and nasal spray vaccines have also been made available.

More than 2.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines were donated and exported worldwide to help the global fight against the virus.

Minimizing cost

China also tries its best to balance COVID-19 control and economic development to minimize costs while protecting the people.

The country is one of the first to witness growth in 2020, achieving an average of 5.1 percent in 2020 and 2021.

Large-scale projects like "East Data West Computing" and the construction of the China Space Station are moving forward according to plan.

More than a trillion yuan (about $143 billion) of taxes and fees were exempted for the self-employed to boost the economy.

The Chinese system has stood up against the virus for nearly three years. Now China has started to further optimize its COVID-19 prevention and control measures.