China’s foreign assistance in COVID-19 pandemic helps build world into community with shared future

By People’s Daily

China has offered sincere assistance to the world since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which moved many people overseas. Now, the touching stories happening around the globe are responding to the profound friendship from the Chinese government and people, consolidating the confidence of the world in defeating the virus.

The pandemic respects no border, but the world is surrounded by love. “Guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China will be more than ready to share our good practices, conduct joint research and development of drugs and vaccines, and provide assistance where we can to countries hit by the growing outbreak.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s remarks made at the Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit on COVID-19 were both sincere declaration and concrete action.

At the critical moments of pandemic response, China has timely sent “mail bags” overseas, dispatched medical experts to foreign countries, and shared Chinese experiences with the world. China’s anti-virus external assistance is the most intensive and wide-ranging emergency humanitarian operation since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

“Although hills and rills set us apart, the moon and wind share our kind heart.” The Chinese people will never forget the supports and assistance offered by the international society when China experienced the darkest moments of the pandemic.

Xinwu district of Wuxi, east China’s Jiangsu province received 4,500 masks donated by its sister city Toyokawa in Japan, and when learning the short supply of medical materials in Toyokawa, it reciprocated 10-fold, sending 50,000 face masks to the Japanese city. Italy, which sent 40,000 pieces of masks to China, received a donation of millions of pieces from the latter. Besides, China also returned the favor of Russia of a 2-million-mask donation with 150 million masks. The U.S. society once lent a helping hand to China to assist the pandemic response efforts, and now China has offered a total of more than 6.6 billion masks to the U.S.

Statistics indicate that China is offering and has offered medical materials to over 150 countries and international organizations, and is also facilitating foreign countries to place orders of medical supplies in China. “A drop of water in need shall be returned with a spring in deed.” That is a fine tradition that has been carried forward by the Chinese nation for thousands of years, and also a moral sense circulating in the blood of the Chinese people.

The spreading COVID-19 pandemic is posing huge threats against the lives and health of the people. To cope with such threats calls for humanitarian spirit, a mentality that guides people to respect every life and save every patient, and assists the world to secure a victory in the battle against the novel coronavirus.

Since the onset of the pandemic, China dispatched medical teams to multiple countries, established online knowledge center about pandemic prevention and control, organized dozens of teleconferences among medical experts, and offered huge amount of material aid to other countries. When securing a sound performance of pandemic containment at home, it is doing its best to offer assistance to the countries in need, which echoes the Chinese value of mutual assistance and reflects the kindness of the Chinese people. Because of this, China will never sit back and watch when its friends are in distress, or seek private gains when offering assistance. These efforts deserve respect, and shall be remembered by history.

The sudden outbreak sounded an alarm for the world that no country is able to fight alone against viruses - a common enemy of the mankind. At present, pandemic response is no longer a matter of individual countries, but a global war in which human beings protect their public health, safeguard their well-being and defend their prosperity. In its foreign assistance in the pandemic, China is not playing to the gallery, but stays true to its original aspiration; it is benefiting the world rather than gaining private profits. It is an action guided by the right approach to justice and interests upheld by China in international exchanges, and one that puts into practice the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The world is a community with a shared future for mankind, which is free from political implication and remains an everyday reality. Only when every country manages to control the virus, can the world enjoy public security. It explains why China is sincere and voluntary to help other countries in the pandemic. China will always share weal and woe with other countries and contribute Chinese wisdom, experiences and power to the global efforts in combating the virus, as it knows only when joint efforts are made, can the pandemic fades.