The Paper's special contributor Zhou Xin
It is often said that history is a multi-prism, which is seen horizontally as a peak on the side of the ridge, and different angles reflect the multiple historical choices of specific historical subjects and constitute different historical narratives. If we freeze the grand history on this pandemic of the century that is still delaying and evolving, we can also see the various paradigms of dealing with the new crown virus from the multi-prism of the global new crown epidemic, feel the different anti-epidemic cooperation choices like "parallel universes", and reflect the self-evident different views of global governance.
Prism first reflects the light of global cooperation and mutual assistance. During his recent visits to Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and the Republic of Korea, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in response to the media's question on what specific contributions China has made to global solidarity against the epidemic, summed up the "five firsts", that is, taking the lead in sharing epidemic information and anti-epidemic experience with all parties; taking the lead in providing anti-epidemic materials to various countries in large quantities; taking the lead in providing vaccine assistance to developing countries on a large scale; taking the lead in sending medical expert groups to the outside world; and taking the lead in proposing to build a community of human health. "More than 320 billion masks, 3.9 billion protective clothing, 5.6 billion test reagents, and 2 billion doses of vaccines provided during the year", a string of bright figures, shows the world the generous and selfless spirit of international cooperation of the Chinese government and people.
Horizontally, these "five firsts" not only include emergency information sharing, emergency material assistance, online and offline intellectual support, but also cover the concept of building a cooperation mechanism in the field of regional and global public health, which can be described as "treating the symptoms and the root causes; current and future; routine applications, and emergency responses" measures are included. From a longitudinal point of view, this is China's plan to properly deal with the public health crisis, an important contribution of Xi Jinping Diplomatic Thought to improving the level of global governance, and once again reflects China's wisdom and responsibility as a responsible major country, and naturally won the universal recognition and wide praise of the vast number of developing countries, including ASEAN countries.
The President of the Philippines has repeatedly publicly stated that he will hold President Xi Jinping's hand and personally thank China for its generous vaccine assistance to the Philippines. Cambodia's prime minister bluntly said that China's vaccines and anti-epidemic materials have saved the lives of thousands of Cambodian people. Vietnamese party and government leaders thanked the Chinese side for "sending charcoal in the snow". Singapore's top level appreciates China's setting an example of international anti-epidemic cooperation. On September 24, at the handover of a new batch of Chinese donated vaccines, the Indonesian foreign minister expressed his gratitude and sincere respect to the Chinese side for countless times. The "five firsts" are just the beginning, and in the next step, China will continue to uphold the common values of mankind and the feeling of "universal unity" and continue to promote global anti-epidemic cooperation until it finally defeats the epidemic.
At the other end of the prism there is also a dark and eerie light that moves against the tide of history. Dwarfed by China's "five firsts" approach, the United States has relied on its military and scientific and technological superiority to carry out a comprehensive "local priority" divine operation. They scavenged and looted anti-epidemic materials, global embargo on vaccine production raw materials and equipment, overstocked vaccine finished products that were completely disproportionate to the population base, and looked ugly as "unprofitable and self-serving" and "I am like this, who can do it", and finally rely on monopolizing the international discourse power, stubbornly standing on the self-proclaimed "moral high ground" to "throw the pot and blame" and "concoct incidents" and seek to maximize their own interests. In the face of the common crisis of mankind, completely disregarding the overall situation of global anti-epidemic cooperation, there is still a little bit of what a superpower should look like.
Chinese often said, "The eyes of the masses are shining brightly" and "justice is in the hearts of the people." In the face of a series of despicable acts of the United States that "give priority to the mainland", "trace the political origin", "passive anti-epidemic and active anti-China", the international community and regional countries are not without their own value judgments. Just a few days ago, even Amnesty International, a human rights organization with a strong American and Western background, had to point out that some developed countries have always attached more importance to vaccine profits and self-interest than to the basic right to life of all mankind, resulting in a new round of Delta mutations continuing to wreak havoc in developing countries, calling on developed countries led by the United States to immediately redistribute excess vaccines, and pharmaceutical companies to give priority to providing vaccines to countries that need them most and sharing related technologies. These requirements are the most basic and do not have a "super-program", which reflects the international community's concerns about the "bottom line" of the United States and the West.
In March 2020, President Xi Jinping proposed to build a community of human health, advocating that all parties uphold the global consciousness of solidarity and common ground, follow the return of "life first" globalization values, strengthen international solidarity and cooperation, safeguard world fairness and justice, and jointly promote the development of global public health. This is another creative system concept put forward by The Chinese side based on its own thinking and practice, and it is also an expansion and enrichment of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Through China's unremitting efforts, the relevant measures and actions have been increasingly affirmed and positively responded to by more and more countries, and the relevant concepts have won the praise and recognition of all countries, laying a solid foundation for the ultimate construction of a community of human health.
The global epidemic is a reflection of good and evil, pointing directly to the hearts of the righteous people. In the face of the common public health crisis of all mankind, who is earnestly fulfilling their commitments, solidly promoting cooperation, and uniting all parties to tide over difficulties? Who is "full of benevolence and morality, but full of conspiracies and deviousness", and has repeatedly lowered the moral bottom line for their own political interests? Facts speak louder than words, and history has its own public opinion. The pandemic of the century is still raging, the wheel of history is rolling forward, and it is not too late to make up for the dead sheep. Cohesion and hand in hand to fight the epidemic is the right way in the world, and only playing with flowers and doing more injustice will sooner or later suffer from repercussions.
Editor-in-Charge: Zhu Zhengyong
Proofreader: Shi Gong