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The 45 countries sampled represent 89 percent of the world’s gross domestic product, 76 percent of its population and 64 percent of its territory, Chinese official media said. The health index measures each country’s ability to handle internal and external challenges, its authors said.
"We are all familiar with global threats from terrorism, energy shortages, a deteriorating environment, climate change and financial crises," said Prof. Yang Duogui, one of the authors of the report, as quoted in china.org.cn. "Our five-year study analyzes the overall ability of countries to respond to these challenges. Even more than wealth or power, overall national health is the target countries will pursue in the 21st century."
Countries were divided into four categories – the highest representing a “health surplus” and the lowest a “health deficit.” Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Austria and Switzerland were given the top rating. The second category, “standard health,” included Holland, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and Chile.
“Sub-standard” nations included Malaysia, Spain, Belgium, Brazil, South Korea, Thailand, India, Greece, Portugal and the Czech Republic.
Russia, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Argentina, Romania, Poland, Turkey, South Africa, Indonesia, Morocco, the Philippines, Egypt, Ukraine, Pakistan, Venezuela and Nigeria were rated as suffering from a “health deficit.”
Researchers evaluated factors that can affect the health of a nation, including wars, poverty, prevalence of disease, availability of resources, ecological systems, climate changes, etc. They paid particular attention to food, energy and financial resources.
The report concludes that developed countries score relatively higher on the “National Health Index,” while developing countries score lower. It does indicate an upward trend since the turn of the century, however, with 27 countries showing improvements during the period of the study, including emerging market economies like China.
China ranked top among developing countries, because of its “enterprising spirit, national responsibility, economic vitality and social cohesion.”
On the other hand, its weaknesses were listed as a lack of government regulation and control; lack of innovative ability; a poor safety record and environmental degradation.
As for the “national responsibility” ranking, it is intended to rate a nation’s participation in global society. Researchers based their criteria on arms reduction; elimination of poverty; development assistance; resource conservation and environmental protection. In this listing China ranks top and the United States is ranked at the bottom – to the surprise of many who have seen this result.
The CAS study seems to have received little or no attention outside China. Reports in China’s official English media, including China Daily, failed to mention the “national responsibility” rankings in reports on the study.
Within the country, few positive reactions to the rankings were expressed in local media or Internet forums.
“It’s totally a silly, boring thing,” wrote critic Zhang Zijian in the Heilongjiang Morning Post, a newspaper published in northeast China. “Even though China’s national health isn’t really as bad as some anti-China figures have said, its performance definitely cannot be ranked number one as the CAS report claims.”
Since the Chinese don’t appreciate other countries’ back-seat driving, they have no need to pick fault with others, Zhang wrote. He said the purpose of such research should be to promote better governance of the country; therefore it should focus on existing problems and possible solutions. Issuing such a report without a strong scientific basis for its conclusions could be seen as a joke, he warned.
Another commentary in ChinaReviewNews.com criticized the report from a different angle. It urged the Chinese authorities to view their first and fundamental responsibility as being toward China’s citizens, before talking about their secondary responsibility toward the international community.
“Within one night, as if waking up from a deep and long dream, we people now are being told that we’re living in a country that ranks top in the world in terms of national responsibility. Why do we still have mixed feelings?” the commentary asked.
Premier Wen Jiabao gave an impressive report on China’s progress toward the Millennium Development Goals at the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month. He claimed that within 30 years China has decreased the number of people living in poverty from 250 million to 15 million; implemented free nine-year compulsory education nationwide; established a new system of cooperative medical care for 800 million farmers; and implemented open, democratic government and direct elections at the grassroots level. These achievements imply that the current Chinese government has been making efforts to fulfill its responsibilities to its people.
But ChinaReviewNews.com said the government had another responsibility – to protect its people from unnatural deaths. It then listed a number of examples of recent fatal accidents involving work or food safety. Such incidents expose lack of government oversight, poor management and official corruption, the commentary pointed out. It said China had not yet earned “perfect peace of mind.”
As for China’s responsibility in the world – especially in light of the current financial crisis – the commentary pointed out that China “cannot play the role of savior.” It is still a developing country with deeply rooted systemic social problems, including a serious gap between rich and poor, unbalanced social security and rising prices, to name a few.
While internationalism is good, the commentary said, for the 1.3 billion people of China, maintaining steady development is the best way to take responsibility as part of the world economy.
