Adversity reveals true friends

China cherishes that Lebanon is willing to stand beside it in the fight against the novel coronavirus

Lebanon is a small country located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. It has experienced few severe outbreaks of an infectious disease, and has limited experience in dealing with an epidemic. But Lebanon is on the arterial routes linking Asia and Europe and many Lebanese people live abroad or have business contacts with foreign countries. So the country does face a certain risk of importing a contagious disease. At the early stage of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China, I met with the Lebanese prime minister, foreign minister, and minister of health during Spring Festival to inform them of the development of the epidemic and the prevention and control measures China has implemented.

Lebanon confirmed a novel coronavirus infection on Feb 21 and people in Lebanon are paying more and more attention to the epidemic. Due to the lack of understanding of the virus, some people in Lebanon have panicked and even resisted Chinese goods or normal exchanges between the two countries.

The Chinese embassy has sought to ease people's anxieties about the plague by maintaining close communication with the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the airport and medical institutions, keeping them updated with the latest information. Considering that China is Lebanon's largest trading partner and that Lebanon is facing an intensifying economic crisis, the Chinese embassy has passed on four important messages to the Lebanese businesses and media.

First, China is confident and is capable of defeating the epidemic. The Chinese government and people have spared no effort in fighting the novel coronavirus, and have adopted the strictest and most comprehensive prevention and control measures. Data show that the measures are effective, and the epidemic is being controlled. At present, the Chinese side is in full swing in its battle against the epidemic, and work is starting to be resumed in an orderly manner. Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with President Xi Jinping as the core, China is fully confident of winning the victory by giving full play of the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and the dedicated efforts of people throughout the country.

Second, the epidemic will not hinder the Chinese economy in the long term. As the Chinese government has adopted the strictest epidemic prevention measures and some countries have canceled flights and issued travel bans on people traveling to and from China with disregard for the World Health Organization's recommendations, China's domestic tourism, consumption, logistics, and manufacturing have been affected and the economy have all be affected. The epidemic has also impacted international shipping, tourism and the production chain. In 2003, the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) hit China's economy, but the economy soon resumed rapid growth. Now China's economy is stronger, so is the government's leadership.

With the strong government mobilization capabilities and closer foreign cooperation, we have every reason to believe that China's economy will be able to maintain its long-term sound development.

Third, it is safe to do business with China and buy Chinese products. The World Health Organization has said that the virus can only survive for a few hours on the surface of dry objects, and that normal trade will not increase the risk of transmitting the virus. The WHO has also repeatedly emphasized that it has not recommended countries adopt travel and trade restrictions on China. We hope that all countries will respect its recommendations, do not overreact and avoid unnecessary panic or put pressure on normal personnel exchanges and pragmatic cooperation in various fields.

Fourth, we look forward to further strengthening economic and trade cooperation with Lebanon. Lebanese domestic parties and sects have complicated contradictions, and external forces have deeply intervened in Lebanese affairs. Faced with the question of which side China would choose, we have made it clear that China does not look for a proxy in the Middle East, does not seek any sphere of influence and does not attempt to fill the "vacuum". In Lebanon, we will never be partial to any party in the conflict, and we are willing to coordinate and cooperate with all parties on the basis of mutual respect and win-win cooperation.

All sectors in Lebanon fully recognize and appreciate China's approach and express their willingness to strengthen cooperation with China and jointly respond to the current epidemic. Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and leaders of major parties have expressed their support to China through letters and videos. When some countries adopted restrictions on the normal exchanges with China, the Lebanese government has maintained communication with China in light of the principle of mutual trust, insisted on not taking excessive prevention measures and have not restricted people-to-people exchanges between China and Lebanon.

The world today has become indivisible, and the fate of people has long been closely linked. Local issues and global issues can be mutually transformed. The outbreak of the epidemic reminds us that no country can stand alone in the face of global challenges. In the fight against the epidemic, China has made great efforts and sacrifice in prevention and control, and many countries have extended their assistance and expressed their support to China. This fully demonstrates the strength of international cooperation and reflects the idea of a community of shared future for humanity.

We really appreciate the trust given by the Lebanese government and that they are willing to overcome the difficulties with us. We are grateful to the Lebanese people for their support. We hope that China can emerge from the shadow of the epidemic as soon as possible, and hope that Lebanon can emerge from its economic crisis soon. In the future, we are willing to work with Lebanon to promote the relations between the two countries and bilateral cooperation.

The author is Chinese ambassador to Lebanon. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.