A Study of System Collaborative Governance Mechanism for Managing Imported Public Health Risks in Frontier Ethnic Minority Areas

JOURNAL OF ETHNOLOGY， VOL. 15， NO. 3， 39-45， 2024 （CN51-1731/C， in Chinese）

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2024.3.005

Abstract：

Public health security risk is generally understood as a component of non-traditional security threats， always potentially endangering national security. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pneumonia in 2020， public health safety risks have regained prominence， echoing the earlier attention garnered during the SARS outbreak and reaching peak national awareness. Despite the inclusion of COVID-19 infections in China’s disease control framework， in this case in the “B-tube，” the public health security risk remains severe， compounded by emerging threats like mycoplasma pneumonia and influenza. As a result， management efforts continue under significant pressure. Through a review of related studies， it is found that China has amassed substantial research achievements in the governance of public health security risks， providing scientific theoretical foundations for its governance practice. However， future developments in public health security risks are difficult to predict due to their uncertainty， underscoring the persistent need for extensive research in this area.

China’s frontier ethnic regions are predominantly situated along its international borders. These regions serve not only as China’s frontiers in opening up to the outside world but also as vulnerable zones susceptible to possible imported public health security risks. Therefore， how to effectively manage such imported public health risks in frontier ethnic areas is an important potential challenge to be solved. First of all， findings show that it is imperative to establish a systematic approach to the risk management of imported public health security in these areas. By examining the causes， influencing factors， and development trends of such risks， risk management strategies can be formulated. These may include the following six aspects： Entry-exit controls， policies concerning marriage and childbirth， smuggling prevention， and public health security， as well as regulations governing employment practices and social public security. All for the purpose of a more systematic， comprehensive， and effective approach to the management of these potential health risks. This paper also finds that one should be aware that the above six aspects （entry-exit， marriage and childbirth， smuggling prevention， public health security， employment practices， and social public security） constitute six sub-systems of the whole system for the risk management of imported public health security in frontier ethnic minority areas. In addition， the key to transforming institutional advantages into governance efficiency is viewing these six subsystems as an organic whole， and not simply put together. In other words， it is necessary to build an institutional collaborative governance mechanism for managing imported public health security risks in border ethnic minority areas. Finally， establishing a collaborative governance mechanism for this system is paramount， achieved by 1） promoting synergy among the systems through institutional building to establish the synergy mechanism of the system， 2） ensuring efficient operational synergy， and 3） enhancing its sustainability and development through coordinated institutional support.

In sum， the management of imported public health security risks in border ethnic minority areas is a continuous work， which cannot be accomplished overnight. These areas are the frontline defense against such possible risks. If those risks cannot be effectively controlled， it will directly affect the economic， ecological， cultural and other aspects of development of these regions， and even pose a serious threat to national security. Therefore， these regions would require a systemic coordination governance mechanism to mitigate such threats effectively.

Key Words：

frontier minority areas; imported public health security risk; system synergy; collaborative governance mechanism