OPINION / VIEWPOINT
Shameless China-bashing led to US coronavirus catastrophe
Published: Apr 13, 2020 12:48 AM

People wearing face masks stand in a temporary field hospital for COVID-19 patients under construction at the USTA Billie Jean King national tennis center in the Borough of Queens on Wednesday in New York. Photo: AFP

On Sunday deaths in the US from COVID-19 surpassed Italy, making US the country with most COVID-19 death toll in the world. 

This is a huge tragedy and a shame for the world's only superpower. The US has the most developed economy, the most advanced medical technology and the most abundant related resources. The country should not be in this situation. This is the result of underestimating other countries' experience and ignoring lessons in their fighting against the virus.

People often say that Chinese people are the world's most tolerant. I have begun to feel that the American people are the most tolerant, considering how their government has so badly fumbled the virus outbreak that has caused so many deaths and over 500,000 infections. If this had happened in China, the Chinese government would have long been overwhelmed by Chinese people's anger, and it may have even caused social chaos. Yet, Americans are putting up with the terrible situation on their soil. 

After weeks of stalling, US President Donald Trump finally admitted on March 31 that the virus might cause between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths in the US, frightening his people. Then on Saturday, he predicted that the death toll might only reach 60,000, taking credit for the number deaths that are now predicted to be "a lot fewer" than what he had previously estimated. It suddenly seems that the US government's dereliction of duty and incompetence has turned into a success story in the fight against the epidemic. The US has only a quarter of China's population and 60,000 deaths is a completely unacceptable humanitarian disaster.

The American public is more gullible and tolerant than we thought. This is an internal affair of the US and we don't need to be too concerned. However, the global spread of COVID-19 has become a mirror, providing us with a complete picture to understand China's fight against the epidemic. 

In the future, there will be fierce accusations and smears against China. Chinese people must not be fooled by any of it. We must firmly stick to the facts: China, at a price much lower than the US and other countries claim, has overcome the crisis in the shortest period of time. 

This is a global war, and compared with other major battlefields, China has had the fewest casualties when measured against population size. The number of deaths in China might only be a twentieth of those who succumb in the US. As for those American politicians who have failed to protect people and have continued to blame China, they have let the world see what shamelessness truly means.

Chinese people don't want to expose the scars of US politics in the fight against COVID-19. However, it's the unreasonable and aggressive actions of the US that have forced us to counterattack. These anti-China US politicians should stop being so shameless. The facts are clear: The US government's performance has been the worst in the global fight against the virus.

The author is editor-in-chief of the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn