People wearing masks take a walk near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C., the United States, April 11, 2020. Photo:Xinhua

When China was in its arduous battle against the COVID-19 epidemic, many countries immediately provided it with medical assistance. Some other countries, however, seemed to take pleasure in China's misfortune, in a classic case of schadenfreude. Social stigmatization, xenophobia and racism were characteristic of some Western discourse. A bizarre certainty that the virus would respect border or race emanated from some Western politicians. As a result, they failed to benefit from the weeks of advanced notice provided by China's heroic fight and preventive measures that have protected Chinese citizens. 

More shocking news of the Trump administration's mishandling of the epidemic was recently revealed in the American press, showing US President Donald Trump's economic adviser Peter Navarro had written a memo at the end of January warning about serious consequences. Navarro emphasized that a worst-case pandemic scenario should not be overlooked, given the information coming from China. 

China made tremendous sacrifices immediately after it realized how severe the coronavirus outbreak could be and how human life would be threatened if the virus was neglected. It quickly moved to lockdown Wuhan, a city of more than 11 million residents, for 76 days to curb the spread of the virus.  

Last week we heard the good news that life in the city is returning to normal. This was tempered by sad news of the climbing death toll in some Western countries, due in part to some Western politicians' narrow mindedness that has focused their attention on making China a scapegoat. 

Some politicians have blamed China for disinformation and a lack of transparency. But this rhetoric is exactly opposite of reality. 

The World Health Organization's (WHO) report provides clear, detailed information showing that Beijing provided information during those crucial early weeks. On December 31, 2019, its China office was informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan. On January 11 and 12, the WHO received further detailed information from the National Health Commission of China that suggested the outbreak was associated with a seafood market of the city. The Chinese authorities identified and isolated a novel coronavirus on January 7. Five days later on January 12, they shared the genetic sequencing of the virus with the world, allowing countries to develop diagnostic kits. 

Now, some three months after the outbreak in Wuhan, criticism against China is intensifying. While some countries fight against COVID-19 quietly, others are keen on finding scapegoats. This is a typical technique of politicians who want to blame others for their mistakes in order to transfer responsibility and divert public attention. 

The UK also fell into this category. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has spent time in intensive care fighting COVID-19, underestimated the pandemic for weeks. He challenged conventional wisdom and doctors and only started to take serious action after people began to flood the national health system and die. The world won't easily forget British packed music concerts, soccer stadiums filled with fans, and students still attending classes, while other European governments were requiring people to stay home to stop the contagion. 

Some British parliamentary and media reports attribute the pandemic to China's alleged lack of transparency and so-called disinformation. Tabloids went further and called on the prime minister to ask China to pay reparations or even seize Chinese assets and halt payments on sovereign debt owed to China. 

Examining the situation in the West, it is evident that countries which treated the situation more seriously are suffering less. The UK's problematic government policies didn't change even after the tragic drama in Italy was well underway. 

This is a global fight. Human life is invaluable and the virus might return to countries that have contained it.   

It's easy to sit back and question China's coronavirus statistics. For some reason it seems more difficult to admit that measures adopted by China yielded results that can benefit other countries. If China's measures were not effective, why would so many governments around the world, including the UK and the US, belatedly start using them? 

This is not time for finger-pointing. The West should be examining China's experience in preventing a second wave of COVID-19 from both external and internal cases, and its dealing with asymptomatic patients. 

This second opportunity to learn from China should not be missed.

 The author is a lecturer at the European Institute in Nice, France. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn