Reflections on pandemic governance in China and its implications to future 5G strategy

COVID-19 pandemic and its repercussions came as a surprise to nations including China. However, the unique central governance system of the country enhanced its ability to promulgate laws and guidelines which caused rapid changes across all aspects of its development. The result from this was a swift implementation of initiatives that ensured strict safety protocols to reduce the spread of COVID-19, generated advanced analytical technological systems to control the virus, and created new markets for some new technologies. Hence, the enormous growth of 5G contributed a lot to the economic recovery of China. Given its potential shown during the pandemic, the 5G strategy was considered as the most important attempt to face the challenges in post-COVID-19 by the Chinese government. This chapter outlines some of the structures, policy outcomes, and results during the pandemic and makes recommendations for curtailing future challenges.