IT is really unfortunate and disturbing that when a global and collective response is required to deal with the situation arising out of COVID-19 pandemic, US President Donald Trump is further sharpening his rhetoric against China. To deflect criticism on his failure to control the pandemic in his country, he continues to lambaste China for the spread of the virus and on Thursday he went a step further warning Beijing of new tariffs.
Already the unprecedented pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the economies around the world with oil prices touching record low and major companies shedding staff and slashing profit forecasts, and the very threatening statement of the US President only sent a shudder through global markets. Instead of resorting to allegations, the US needs to take a realistic view of the whole situation. The fact of the matter is that China is the first country which successfully managed to control the virus to a great deal by resorting to very strict measures and it is now extending all out support to other countries to cope with the situation. The very words of praise of Trump for the Chinese leaders for the steps they took to contain the contagion are very much on the record. Then why is this change of heart now? Is it because of his own failures that he wants to shift the blame? One has also seen his tirade against the World Health Organization whose Director General Tedros Adhanom on Friday gave a robust defence of his and the organization’s timely actions in declaring the COVID-19 an international health emergency at the end of February. Instead of blaming others, Washington needs to focus its energies to find a winner vaccine against the pandemic in order to save lives not only in the US but across the globe. Chinese envoy to the UK Liu Xiaoming, in an interview, very rightly pointed out that the virus and not China is the enemy of the US. Indeed in this situation, the target of the US Administration should only be fighting the pandemic. The world will gain from the greater collaboration between the US and China at this critical juncture, but will lose from their confrontation.
