Taipei Act at a time of ‘war’ may hurt Hong Kong as well

With the world bracing for a drawn-out fight against Covid-19, the last thing Hong Kong needs is to be caught again in the crossfire of US-China tensions

Trump’s signing of a legislation supporting Taiwan’s international standing comes at an odd time, and may further stir the city’s volatile politics

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Cut-outs of US leader Donald Trump, and Chinese president Xi Jinping in masks outside a gift shop in Moscow, Russia. Photo: Reuters

Tammy Tam

Tammy Tam is the South China Morning Post's Publisher.

Published: 5:05pm, 29 Mar 2020Updated: 11:47pm, 29 Mar 2020

“We are at war” is perhaps the most widely used phrase by world leaders these days in the global fight against Covid-19, with no end in sight to the pandemic.

In mainland China, where the coronavirus first emerged, President Xi Jinping had declared a “people’s war” since early February. Now, just as the country is slowly recovering, the pandemic has exploded in Europe and the United States, where Donald Trump has declared himself a “wartime president”.

Whatever that means, Trump has realised this is a fight he cannot afford to lose, for himself if he is to win November’s presidential election, and for the country as it faces a massive public health emergency.

To win a war of such magnitude, world leadership and solidarity are essential, and political bickering is not helpful.

Providing a glimmer of hope, leaders of the Group of 20 major economies have pledged to do whatever it takes to rid the world of the pandemic, followed by a phone call between Xi and Trump during which the two vowed to cooperate in the war against the coronavirus.