Calls for unity as attempts to politicize pandemic condemned

Countries should not politicize the coronavirus but instead join hands in fighting the pandemic, a veteran Japanese politician said.

Tadatomo Yoshida, secretary-general of Japan's Social Democratic Party, made the remarks in a written interview with China Daily.

"The virus has no borders and the battle against it entails difficult and arduous work. Rather than selfishness and chauvinism, what's required is the unity and cooperation of all countries," he said.

"I am in strong opposition to COVID-19 being used for political gains or self-interest. All countries should work together, increase trust and develop good friendships amid difficulties like this.

"China successfully avoided mass infections and deaths on a larger scale from COVID-19 due to its rapid and positive response－the building of hospitals in just 10 days shocked many."

Yoshida said it is in everyone's interests that China is sharing the information and experience it has gained in combating the disease.

While the crisis had led some countries to pursue their own self-interest, the ties between China and Japan have been enjoying a boost, he said.

In Russia, similar calls have been made for international cooperation, rather than scapegoating, in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

In an interview with Russia's Channel One on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the United States had blamed China for the outbreak of what became the pandemic, and even demanded compensation from China accompanied by threats. That is wrong, Lavrov said.

In an interview on April 14 that also addressed such accusations against China, he said: "It is completely unacceptable. Don't judge others by yourself. We hear these sort of statements, first and foremost, from our Western colleagues."

Lavrov said China has been making every effort to help other countries and share its experience in combating the coronavirus.

Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the International Affairs Committee of Russia's State Duma, lower house of parliament, said: "The US continues to preach savage egoism amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a situation when people's lives are at stake, such methods look even more cynical.

"We all must show solidarity in the face of the threat rather than pointing fingers at each other looking for a guilty party."

He noted that China itself is a victim of the outbreak.

Dmitry Suslov, deputy head of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, said US President Donald Trump's assertion that China must bear responsibility for the pandemic is merely campaign rhetoric ahead of the presidential election in November. It is a ploy aimed at reducing the pressure on the White House over Trump's own miscalculations in his response to the virus, he said.

Suslov pointed out that during the initial stages of its reaction to the pandemic, the US proceeded in a clumsy way and did not introduce restrictive measures in time.

He said US officials are seeking to shift the public focus away from the Trump administration's mistakes, which hampered the efforts against the virus in the crucial earlier period.