Chinese government has taken quick responses, including dispatching over 10,000 medical personnel from other provinces to the virus outbreak epicenter Hubei Province to alleviate the brain shortage of local medical resources, earmarking a specially designated budget of over 10 billion US dollars to help local governments to take anti-virus policies, and mobilizing nearly 4 million grassroots public servants and volunteers to the anti-virus battle frontline.
These policies have won praise from the World Health Organization several times, whose chief Tedros Adhanom has reiterated that China has done much more than what WHO has required in dealing with this crisis. Some high officials from other countries have praised what China has done is typical of “Chinese Speed”, a term meaning China can achieve great results in an efficient and proper way.
China is dealing with the virus in “Chinese Speed”, for one thing, reflects the government’s determination to deliver on its promise to put people’s health and life safety as the most and foremost priority of the current job of tackling this virus, and for another, sends out a crystal clear message to the international community: by sparing no efforts to put this crisis under control within Chinese borders and sacrificing its own short-term convenience and economic growth benefits, China is playing its positive constructive role as a responsible stakeholder in the international community.
However, some guys and western media are not taking seriously what China has done and is doing, instead, they either criticize, stigmatize or feel indifferent to. The US Commerce Minister Wilbur Ross late January spoke to Fox News that the outbreak of coronavirus in China is going to help job opportunities return to America quickly and some companies should consider the virus outbreak as a factor of reconsidering their supply chains. His indifferent comment has spurred lots of outrage on the Chinese social media, and lots of Chinese netizens criticized the American government of kicking China while it is in a predicament, totally in contrast to its self-anointed international image of being a defender and master of human rights.
Another example is that some western media are trying their best to demonize China. Media like VOA and New York Times are describing a dark negative picture of what is happening in China like they reported that Chinese government isn’t transparent enough in disclosing the virus disease information or not willing enough to cooperate with the WHO, and the weakness of Chinese system is the real cause of the virus disease. These kinds of ill-intentioned propaganda are not constructive in solving problems facing China, but a continuation of their deep-rooted misinterpretation of China.
China is not going to waste its precious time debating with such senseless diatribe and cacophony, it will continue its relentless efforts to fights the virus and safeguard people’s health and life security. Undoubtedly, despite facing many challenges ahead, China is going to win out this battle, because the country has three advantages at its disposal, which will help them win out.
First and foremost, China has strong governmental leadership and implementation capability. Under the strong leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the whole country is mobilizing its resources and talents to tackle the crisis. Now the best anti-virus experts and best medical personnel have been dispatched to Wuhan and other cities of Hubei Province, construction of new hospitals designated especially for hosting and treating coronavirus patients has been finished in a very short time, and other provinces and municipalities like Guangdong and Shanghai, which are facing less severe virus challenges, are also helping Hubei province in different ways. The whole country is united together with one specific purpose: conquer the virus and safeguard people's health and life security.
Second, a people’s war against the virus is underway and is praised by President Xi Jinping as one of the indispensable effective weapons of fighting this virus. In addition to the actions taken by the government, Chinese people have a good awareness of what the anti-virus battle means to the country and themselves. During the Spring Festival holidays, the majority of Chinese would rather stay at home than go outside for socializing and catching up with friends, they learned and kept in mind the “Does and Don’ts” of how to effectively stay away from the virus, and they abided by the temporary travel bans put into force by local governments during the virus season. When more and more ordinary Chinese know how coronavirus spreads and how to cut its transmission method, and they carry out their related knowledge in their daily life carefully, it is highly likely that less and less Chinese people will fall prey to this ruthless virus.
Thirdly, the international community has confidence in China and is offering help. Despite some sour noises of criticizing China at the down moment, since the virus outbreak, more and more countries and foreign high-ranking officials are either donating medical resources or expressing their heartfelt sympathy to China. This international help and sympathy helps raise up Chinese people’s spirits, and Chinese people will never forget what friendly countries like Iran, Japan, Pakistan have done for us. Friends in need are friends indeed.
Lei Xiangping is a Tehran-based reporter of China Media Group comprising CCTV, CRI, CNR, and CGTN
MNA/PR