China puts people, lives first
That was a serious contrast to some US politicians who are still fighting for their political ends while ignoring people’s lives
BEIJING, China (Global Times) — In stark contrast to the United States which apparently turned the UN General Assembly — a multilateral dialogue platform — into a battlefield to attack and defame China, China stressed putting people and lives first in battling COVID-19, and that major countries should act like major countries by taking up their due responsibility and live up to people’s expectations.
Though the Chinese president did not mention the US in his speech, unlike Donald Trump who started his speech by mentioning the “China virus,” Chinese analysts described the virtual speeches as a “face off” between China and the US, in which Chinese President Xi Jinping’s words and pledges were gentle but powerful, which fully displayed China’s image as a responsible major country which honors commitment, respects science and stresses actions.
During the general debate, state leaders all focused on the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and health. Xi pledged that China will provide COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries on a priority basis, and will honor its commitment to provide $2 billion in international assistance over two years.
He also promised to provide another $50 million to the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan, and establish the phase III FAO-China SSC Trust Fund with $50 million.
COVID-19 will not be the last crisis to confront humanity, so we must join hands and be prepared to meet even more global challenges, he said.
“That was a serious contrast to some US politicians who are still fighting for their political ends while ignoring people’s lives,” Lü Xiang, a research fellow on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
In the speech, Trump told the United Nations General Assembly to “hold China accountable for their actions” related to the coronavirus pandemic, and accused the Chinese government and the World Health Organization (WHO), which he said is virtually controlled by China, of falsely declaring that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
On the same day, the US just topped 200,000 COVID-19 deaths in less than 8 months.
“It is evident that Trump has abandoned his efforts to deal with the epidemic,” Lü said, slamming Trump for boasting about his achievements as being “shameless.”
The US has always been self-centered while China stressed inclusiveness and a shared prosperity. Trump gave the fullest expression of the “egotism” of the US culture in his speech full of attacks and defamation against China, Wang Yiwei, director of the institute of international affairs at Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
On the contrary, China has consistently emphasized its role and responsibilities in supporting others in fighting the virus, in a humble rather than condescending way that Trump took.
While many countries were not able to denounce Trump in public, many ridiculed Trump’s arrogance and his destructive power over the world alliance systems, Wang said.
Despite touting the US as the most powerful country in the world, Trump offered nothing of substance in his speech. China, the second largest contributor to the UN, continued its principle of promoting global common development by providing another two funding packages and expressing its determination to share the experience with the rest of the world, experts noted.