Humanitarian spirit shall be cherished in midst of COVID-19 pandemic

By He Yin

“China, which upholds the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, would like to share its experience in disease prevention and control with other countries, launch joint research and development of medicines and vaccines, and offer as much assistance as possible to countries that are affected by the disease.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s remarks at the recent G20 Extraordinary Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 well explained to the world China’s highly responsible actions. China, always actively promoting international cooperation to combat the virus and offering assistance to other countries with humanitarian spirit, is showing its caring and respect for lives.

As the novel coronavirus has taken the life of many, the world must seize every minute and do everything it could to both defeat the virus and care for the people. It is a time when humanitarian spirit is particularly needed – every life shall be taken care of; every individual shall be respected; and every patient shall be treated.

To protect people’s lives and health calls for humanitarian spirit, and so does the global victory over the pandemic. “We must come to the aid of the ultra-vulnerable – millions upon millions of people who are least able to protect themselves,” said United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres when launching a COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan.

The UN has allocated $75 million for emergency response to protect the worst-affected in the pandemic and to support water supply and health services.

The world must react with solidarity to cope with the pandemic. China, securing a phased success in epidemic control at home, is doing its best to offer assistance to the world with the humanitarian spirit. It has dispatched medical expert teams to Iran, Iraq, Italy, Serbia, Cambodia, Pakistan, Laos, Venezuela and the Philippines, and offered material assistance to 120 countries and four international organizations. Besides, it also shared its epidemic control experiences with over 180 countries and 10 international and regional organizations.

China's anti-virus international assistance is the most intensive and wide-ranging emergency humanitarian operation since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The country has earned wide applause from the international society.

China’s timely assistance received warm response. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban received Chinese assisting expert teams and supplies at the airports. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen livestreamed the arrival of the Chinese experts in Phnum Penh, which was watched by 600,000 people online. Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio noted that Chinese experts and the supplies they brought would save Italy.

Such appreciation fully proves that China is doing the right thing, and the humanitarian spirit of the Chinese aid is well respected.

A just cause should be pursued for common good. To offer assistance for those in need is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation. Over the past 70 years of China’s foreign aid, the country has always adhered to internationalism and humanitarian spirit and offered assistance within its capability to the countries threatened by natural disasters and major epidemics. It has offered sincere aid in multiple deadly emergencies, such as the Indian Ocean tsunami, Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the major earthquake in Nepal.

China never sits back and watch when its friends are in trouble, or attaches any string to its foreign aid – this is what the country values.

The arrogance and prejudices of some Westerners, as well as their narrow-minded geo-political calculations that distort China’s humanitarian aid and smear the country’s kind acts, are totally tarnishing the humanitarian spirit.

The world witnesses that China has gone in harm’s way with bravery to protect the lives and health of the people around the world, which signals the significance of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and marks concrete actions to build the vision. China’s practices demonstrate its love for the world, and shines with the humanitarian spirit which is also a part in the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

People and their lives are the most valuable, and this should be always remembered in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Solidarity and cooperation remain the most powerful weapon, and humanitarian spirit deserves particular attention. As long as countries around the world prioritize people’s lives and health, and take action to cooperate without ideological prejudices, they can build strong cohesion in enhancing international cooperation and jointly achieve the final victory over this major infectious disease.