Opinion | America cooperated with the Soviets to fight smallpox. Why is it so hard for the US to work with China against Covid-19?

Since the 1960s, when the US overcame Cold War differences with the Soviet Union to defeat smallpox, America has taken an illiberal, ethno-nationalistic turn

These dark undercurrents, stirred up by Trump, have made it harder for the US to set aside its differences and cooperate with China

Reading Time:4 minutes

Published: 1:00am, 25 Apr 2020Updated: 4:09am, 25 Apr 2020

Earlier this month, a group of Chinese professors and a group of American public intellectuals separately issued two statements with one common plea, urging Beijing and Washington to come together to beat Covid-19.

Scholastic exchanges have played a critical role in the history of the relationship between China and the United States. During China’s early decades of reform, American universities welcomed and trained thousands of young Chinese to help develop China into the global power it is today. But the Chinese appear to have overstayed their welcome.

The US, according to White House adviser Michael Pillsbury, was naive to believe that China would transform into a liberal democracy. American goodwill has given way to a sense of betrayal. In China, while some sympathise with the US, others feel misunderstood by it. Most Chinese scholars, however, saw in America a disgruntled rival unwilling to accept China as an equal.

But as the magnitude of Covid-19’s destruction has become apparent, strained collegiality is giving way to empathy. Scholars and experts from both countries are ready to set aside their differences, and have called upon their leaders to do the same, to jointly confront the unfolding tragedy facing humanity.

This is not unprecedented, the American scholars’ statement noted. The US has done this before, transcending an ideological divide to cooperate with its Cold War rival, the Soviet Union, to eradicate smallpox.

Today, the US must work with China to beat the deadly Covid-19 disease. But this is not the only change needed. Since then, America has undergone a series of social and political shifts affecting how it and the world are reacting to the coronavirus pandemic.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x