Politicization of pandemic emblematic of selfishness

The origin-tracing endeavors have provided a chance for the US government to prove that it is good at engineering political discourses, and setting the agenda accordingly to sling mud upon China.

But such chicanery comes at a high price, as it ignores facts and science.

The US politicians' addiction to these wiles exposes the hypocrisy of the values they claim to defend, and their extreme anxiety to scapegoat China for the US' flawed response to the pandemic.

The absurdity of their duplicity is evident. None of the statements, reports and policies the US government has issued on the pandemic and origin-tracing investigation targeting China are based on facts and science, but instead are rife with speculation, rumors and lies.

Any responsible government would be extremely prudent in referring to these materials. But the US government accepts these materials indiscriminately, so long as they can be used to pour dirty water on China.

To provide an official stage for these fabrications and allegations is tantamount to endowing them with authority and legitimacy. This is a key procedure to inject the US bias, anti-science mentality and selfishness into international agenda that should be based on rationality, science and objectivity.

Even the research targeting China done by the US government agencies themselves is invariably based on doctored evidence from anonymous sources, compiled with the presumption of guilt and relying on conjecture and speculation instead of objectivity and facts to arrive at the desired conclusion.

In addition, by trying to close ranks with other developed countries and the Indo-Pacific countries to isolate China, the US politicians feel no qualms about sabotaging the international solidarity that the fight against the virus requires, as if the more parties it can marshal the more truth its aforementioned tricks will acquire.

The audacity and absurdity with which the US government politicizes scientific matters with baseless findings and allegations is in stark contrast with its inaction and inertia in trying to save lives.

While many countries are in dire need of COVID-19 vaccines, the US is hoarding tens of millions of vaccines at home, or condescendingly providing select countries and regions with some that come with strings attached.

Its selfishness should be taken as a stark reminder to other countries of the true color of the US in the war against the virus.

－LIU HAICHAO, A RESEARCHER OF POLITICS AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AT THE SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND LAW