24 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 13, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com
Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar
Comments to [email protected]COVER STORY
S
ince the beginning of globalization,
in what’s now an interconnected
world, the vow “for better, for worse...
in sickness and in health” is no longer just
for couples wishing to get married. Today,
it applies to all nations, rich or poor, large
or small, as countries around the world
join China in the fight against the novel
coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Diseases know
no boundaries, color, ethnicity or gender.
An infectious disease originating in one
country can rapidly spread to many others
with far-reaching international conse-
quences.
The death toll in China has been rising
while cases of overseas infections have been
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These include top destinations for Chinese
tourists like Japan, Thailand, Singapore,
Australia, the Republic of Korea (ROK),
Germany, Malaysia, the U.S., Canada and
France.
Contingency plans to respond to
the epidemic have brought the Chinese
economy to a grinding halt. The global
implications are yet to be evaluated as
China, the world’s second largest economy,
the largest trading nation and the largest
source of international travelers, battles
against the outbreak.
On January 20, after China’s National
+HDOWK&RPPLVVLRQFODVVLĶHGWKHSQHXPR-
nia caused by the 2019-nCoV as a Category
B infectious disease—the second highest
level that includes SARS, AIDS and viral
hepatitis—the Dow Jones, which peaked
on January 17 at 29,348, dipped 152
points when the stock market reopened
on January 21, followed by even sharper
declines. By February 3, the Dow had lost
3.7 percent. The Financial Times Stock
Exchange 100 Index in the UK fell 5.05
percent from its second highest reading
recorded on January 17.
Thailand, a popular Chinese travel desti-
nation, has reduced its GDP forecast for the
year due to an expected revenue loss of $1.6
billion.
In times of peril, rumors fueling con-
spiracy theories and fearmongering become
instant bestsellers, as sensationalism be-
comes the mantra. For instance, if you do
a web search for “closed border + China,”
the results are overwhelming: Mongolia
closed its border crossings with China; Russia
banned Chinese tour groups and closed its
Far East borders; Viet Nam closed its border
to Chinese tourists; Nepal sealed its border
with China, and so on.
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and you will get a detailed list of airlines
that have canceled flights to and from
Chinese cities: Air Canada, American
Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa. The list
goes on.
Following Apple’s lead, Samsung
temporarily closed its flagship store
in Shanghai. Automakers like General
Motors, Nissan, Honda and Groupe PSA
have either suspended production or
flown their staff back home. The fixation
on how countries have axed contact with
China is keeping global readers largely
misinformed about the international com-
munity’s show of solidarity, courage and
encouragement.
If you do a search for international sup-
port to combat the 2019-nCoV, you will only
get the World Health Organization declaring
the outbreak a public health emergency ofinternational concern.
The picture that a lot of sensational-
ized media reports don’t present is that
while the borders have been temporarily
closed to some people to prevent the virus
from spreading, they remain very much
open to medical assistance and personnel.
International assistance is pouring into China
in the form of medical supplies every day
and the people in China are heartened by
the reports diligently published by the do-
mestic media.
For example, despite the troubled his-
torical legacy between China and Japan,
the Japanese Government and its people
have sent protective suits, goggles and
rubber gloves in addition to millions of
face masks. Other countries extending
assistance are as diverse as Russia, Israel
and Pakistan. The EU has also reached out
to China.
Previous viral threats, such as SARS, the
Middle East respiratory syndrome, Ebola
from Africa, and Zika from South America,
rang an alarm for all global citizens. They un-
derscore the need for concerted measures
to contain outbreaks and save lives in our
global community.
So while infectious and deadly dis-
eases lead to cities being locked down
temporarily and people being quaran-
tined, compassion, empathy and solidarity
continue to prevail as we battle together
for a shared future.Q(03$7+<ó:,7+287ó
BORDERS
Closed borders, suspended flights and idle factories can’t
stop humanity from lending a helping hand By Liu Yunyun