The Sunday Mail
Jun Sheng
THESE days, whoever speaks well of China risks being attacked in what has become a hysterical new normal for some politicians from the United States of America.
Not long ago, the World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and famous US tycoon Bill Gates were fiercely slammed by those politicians for their affirmation of China’s anti-epidemic efforts and success.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak, China, in the face of this rare public health crisis and disaster, has contributed immensely to the world with tremendous sacrifices and effective epidemic control measures.
As the virus spreads, China, which committed to building a shared future for mankind, continues to play an active role in international anti-epidemic cooperation. By providing batches of medical aid and supplies to other countries, China has been injecting confidence and momentum into the world’s joint battle against the virus.
We shall resolutely forge ahead along the righteous path. Upholding humanitarianism and our shared destiny, China has never hesitated to lend a helping hand to those in need despite many malicious conjectures. In the US, the country most active in blaming China for the pandemic, many doctors gained valuable information from their Chinese counterparts on diagnosis and treatment for Covid-19 cases through video-conferences.
Medical supplies like ventilators and masks donated by China were shipped to the hardest-hit areas promptly. That is why Bill Gates exclaimed that China has done many right things from the beginning and why Dr Tedros affirmed several times that “the high speed and massive scale of China’s moves are rarely seen in the world”.
“It showed China’s efficiency and the advantages of China’s system. The experience of China is worth learning for other countries.”
These choruses of praise irritated some US politicians so much so that they did not waste a moment labelling the truth-speakers. They said they were “propagating for China”, even threatening to launch an investigation into WHO.
At the end of the day that is all because US politicians are afraid that the truth will expose them as being ignorant and incompetent; they are scared that a China-US comparison would prick their false sense of superiority; they are worried that people’s understanding of and consequently friendliness toward China would disrupt their China-smearing chorus; and they are concerned that people’s recognition of China’s advantages and strengths would force their China-curbing roadmap off track. But facts cannot be denied and justice lies in people’s hearts. Since the outbreak, China has never imposed its measures on anyone. Still, people cannot help but feel the warmth from China’s aid to the world, while they become aware of who it is that is truly putting the people first rather than the votes, and who is making concrete efforts rather than putting on shows.
On April 26, Wuhan, the city hardest hit by the coronavirus in China declared that all hospitalised Covid-19 patients had been discharged. On the same day, the US reported nearly one million confirmed cases.
While the White House was ignoring lives of the elderly and poor, China was making every effort to protect the disadvantaged including elders, patients with underlying illnesses and the needy.
Such a stark contrast leads to an obvious conclusion. Even Francis Fukuyama, an American scholar known for his “End of History” theory, admitted that “the crucial determinant in performance will not be the type of regime but the state’s capacity and, above all, trust in government”.
He insisted: “The major dividing line in effective crisis response will not place autocracies on one side and democracies on the other.”
As a Chinese ancient poem goes, “thick mountains could not stop the river from flowing into the sea”.
China will give its most forceful response to the shameless behaviour of certain US politicians by forging ahead steadily. The country will achieve on schedule the goal of winning the tough battle of poverty eradication and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
China has announced, loud and clear, the need to get back on the saddle, and it has demonstrated to the world its firm confidence of continuing its peaceful development against all odds.
Confronted by the epidemic, China, advocating the vision of building a community with a shared future, stands ready to work with all countries to win this coronavirus battle for humanity’s sake.
We firmly believe that China will only do well when the world is well and the world will do better when China is doing well.
