BEIJING: In a global race to save lives and control the coronavirus pandemic, some politicians and media outlets in the West seem to be headstrongly engaged in a China-bashing competition, peddling one wicked theory after another since the outbreak.
When China was just into the COVID-19 battle, they questioned transparency. Later they accused Beijing of violating human rights for taking necessary quarantine measures, and beefed up racist talks. Now they appear to be concentrating their firepower on China’s overseas assistance.
They try to label China’s aid actions as “mask diplomacy,” and distort Beijing’s help either as an image-improving campaign, a geopolitical tug of war, or a show-off of an ideological victory. It seems that they choose to believe in anything but China’s goodwill.
For the record, China has so far offered assistance to over 120 countries and international organizations over the raging pandemic, many of which helped China in the thick of its epidemic fight. Also, those aid packages have been sent without political preconditions.
More importantly, Beijing’s assistance is in line with its vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. China fully understands that if it wants to truly beat off the deadly disease in this highly connected world, it needs to help those in need to overcome their difficulties too. Otherwise, any progress could be fragile and temporary. The so-called mask quality issue is even more preposterous. Local purchasers in countries like the Netherlands and Belgium have already come forward and made clear that those China-made masks, which are clearly noted for non-medical use, were commercial purchases, not official aid. – Agencies
