World leaders respond: Believe in China

The World Health Organization affirmed China's courage and responsibility late on Jan 30 (early Jan 31 Beijing time) while defining the outbreak of novel coronavirus-borne pneumonia as a "public health emergency of international concern", and called for strengthening international cooperation. Earlier, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN stands firmly with the Chinese government and people at this critical time.

Thus two of the planet's most representative and authoritative international organizations shared one identical message to the world: Believe in China.

Human beings have been warring with infectious disease throughout history. Since smallpox was eliminated in 1980, new infections arising from biological pathogens emerge every year. The novel coronavirus has in China claimed over 300 victims, reduced thousands to agony, and deprived millions of their freedom to enjoy Spring Festival with kith and kin. Its perniciousness is inferable to SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which claimed over 910 lives worldwide in 2003; to the Ebola virus that killed about 11,300 in West Africa between 2013 and 2016; and to seasonal influenza that caused an estimated 10,000 deaths in the United States according to data from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

These devils defy any border, know no gender, race, region, polity or ideology, and target all humans, exposing the limits of mankind's age-old war with highly infectious diseases despite modern medical progress.

Unlike any other, 2019-nCoV is treacherous, hiding under the camouflage of flu and SARS symptoms and luring people into confusion and misjudgment. The pathogen is more noxiously evolved, embedded with killing skills and savage velocity to spread faster and infect more furtively even during incubation period.

It also seems wickedly designed to strike at the perfect time – right before China's most celebrated festival, which features the largest annual migration on our planet. And this devil is particularly evil, igniting panic and discrimination and attacking the very basis of global community – air and connectivity. After all, it is human-to-human contact that makes our species socially extraordinary.

Just 17 years after SARS, it is unlucky that China has to withstand another intensive pathogenic assault. Yet the bad luck of China may translate into good fortune for the world, simply because China stands as a responsible power of the global community. Sparing no time to recoil or complain, the Chinese people met the call of duty with determination. Here are groups of medical professionals willing to embrace danger for the safety of our species; here is a nation that does not hesitate to sacrifice for the good of human destiny.

Despite early professional mishaps and habitual lull of local officials, the Chinese people and their government have taken decisive action. China has mobilized resources for prevention and treatment infrastructure with speed and strength, and taken stringent measures more rigorous than standards of the International Health Regulations.

The lockdown of transport hub Wuhan with its 11 million people – the first such lockdown in the history of New China – signifies the determination of Chinese to shoulder their responsibility for the common good of mankind. The country keeps daily contact with the World Health Organization, shares key and timely biological information with the international community, takes comprehensive approaches to prevent further spread, and cares for transparent communications with fellow nations.

These steps indicate the country's leaders are fully aware the pains in stopping the virus are not just China's battles with an invisible monster, but may settle an ageless war with mankind’s long-term foe. China is living up to its responsibility to curb the rampant spread of the virus. As the WHO concluded in its Jan 30 statement, "The measures China has taken are good not only for that country but also for the rest of the world."

Yet it is a pity that the ugly side of human nature often rears its head in emergencies. Discords emerge blaming and demeaning China and certain Chinese groups; calls for undoing air and land interconnectivity with China are not rare; discriminative labeling of Chinese identity makes it more complicated for global response.

A concept in economics, the fallacy of composition, is revealing. According to US economist Paul A. Samuelson, "what is true of a part is, on that account alone, alleged to be also true on the whole".

It is understandable for each nation to apply self-protection in line with WHO recommendations. Some experts have warned that proposals of "shutting the border" to maximize one state's interest may not necessarily immunize itself but will instead impact public health negatively.

In today's global community of close togetherness, cutting travel or trade links with a quarter of the world population and the world's largest growth engine can amount to damage or dissection of the global supply chain, run contrary to prevailing social and economic norms, and affect livelihood of many if not all.

The truth is that all human beings now belong to a community of shared future. We need great wisdom in our battle with viruses that rip up and dissect our connectivity. What is needed in the global community so interconnected in a shared destiny today is solidarity against the virus, mutual support and cross-border multi-sectoral collaboration, backing up China's fight while watching out for one's backyard. As the suffering of a neighbor is immediately felt nowadays, caring for others also means caring for oneself. Leaders of dozens of countries indeed choose solidarity to join China in fighting the common foe.

The world should value the rescue of fellow human beings, prevent infection as well as distrust and fear-mongering that may disrupt international coordination. Developed members of the international community can further tap their potential in finding solutions to stop secondary transmission and cure the infected. Members with weaker healthcare systems can review logs of prevention and of recovering patients across Chinese hospitals. The battles against the outbreak demand confidence and courage.

Through the crisis, China is working to improve its medical and administrative mechanisms for emergencies. A promising certainty is that soon the Chinese will win the duel with the virus thanks to their experiences in overcoming SARS within months and helping Africa to stop the spread of Ebola. Each day, more once seriously ill patients reunite with families after beating death. They are living witnesses to President Xi Jinping’s words, that China has the confidence to win the battles against this outbreak.

China's success in meeting the public health crisis will hold useful lessons for public health services around the world. Such progress represents a big step forward not only for the Chinese, but for public health of all countries. That is why it is important to keep faith with China.

History has shown that each virus invasion on the human race leads not to a split of our societies, but more togetherness. The novel coronavirus will prove again that the human merit of mutual love will prevail over evil forces, and that China will fulfil its mission and honor its role for a better future of mankind.

The authors are writers at China Daily.