City BeatIt will take more than just a vaccine to fight coronavirus
- While neither the US nor China have done an ideal job to date, the time for finger pointing is long past
- Even if the two governments fail to end their war of words, their citizens can stand side by side in the Covid-19 battle
The world is in a frantic race to develop a vaccine for Covid-19, but it also needs to do some serious soul-searching as to whether a vaccine is the be-all and end-all to combat this devastating pandemic.
Just as finding a medical solution is crucial, so is the need for solidarity and cooperation instead of finger pointing and gloating over others’ suffering. And this need has become critical for whatever meaningful joint efforts can be made by China and the US against a common enemy.
If the two governments can’t disengage from their worst diplomatic war in decades during such a global emergency, then it’s time for the peoples of the two countries to stand side by side.
Whether by coincidence or not, it’s happening to some extent: 100 Chinese scholars have jointly appealed to both governments to set aside the political blame game and work together; and 100 American academics and former officials, including ex-secretary of state Madeleine Albright, have released an open statement acknowledging that “no effort against the coronavirus … will be successful without some degree of cooperation between the US and China”.
It remains to be seen whether Beijing and Washington can call a temporary truce, with US President Donald Trump warning his country faces its “toughest” week ahead.
But while Trump has dropped his “China virus” rhetoric, it does not seem to have helped much in easing tensions yet, since quite a few American politicians and critics still blame China for the pandemic.
Even the conciliatory statement from the American academics and former officials made it a point to remind China to “answer” for its cover-ups, lack of transparency, and blatant propaganda campaign to shift the blame to the US.