World |
A Shameful Strategy | |
The World Health Organization and the international community have explicitly opposed linking the virus with any specific country or region and are fighting stigmatization | |
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Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), many U.S. politicians and media have called the virus the "Chinese virus" to stigmatize China and divert public attention from their own failure in handling the situation at home. Besides breaking international principles, these politicians are spreading the Cold War mentality, which goes against the principles of multilateralism and mutual benefits.
Such remarks have not made any contribution to combating the pandemic but stoked xenophobia when the rest of the world is trying to contain the disease with joint efforts. Time will prove that political viruses spreading racial discrimination and prejudices do more harm to people. Robert Redfield, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said it was wrong to refer to the virus as the "Chinese virus." The fact that COVID-19 was first reported in Wuhan in central China does not mean it originated there. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the international community have explicitly opposed linking the virus with any specific country or region and are fighting stigmatization. China was the earliest victim of the pandemic. It has significantly cooperated with the international community, taken practical actions and shared its containment experience. COVID-19 knows no border and is a common challenge for humanity. Now is the moment for solidarity, for respecting facts and for fighting together. (This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in People's Daily on March 18)
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