A political virus is spreading along with the COVID-19 pandemic, as some U.S. politicians are taking advantage of the bad situation to stigmatize China, which has been boycotted by the international community.

Over the past few days, many party leaders have contacted the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee to show their support, and many experts and media outlets have aired their views praising China's achievements in fighting the pandemic. 

The U.S. administration openly talked of a "Chinese Virus", and reportedly is urging all federal agencies and departments to strengthen their exposure of China's "intentional cover-up" of being the source of the pandemic that is becoming a global public health threat. 

Tilvin Silva, general secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (People's Liberation Front) of Sri Lanka, said his members were "sad and angry" to see some parties showing no qualms about trying to pass the buck to China and ignoring their own responsibilities.

Heinz Bierbaum, head of the European Left Party, said the party strongly condemned some countries discriminating against Asians, and some media outlets' discriminatory reports on China.

Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S., said that the virus has appeared around the world, and it did not make sense to call it "Chinese Virus". 

Sixteen experts jointly published an article on The Lancet saying that the responses based on scare, disinformation, racism and xenophobia will not save the world from the pandemic. 

The American president acknowledged Chinese people's utmost efforts to curb the contagion, and he appreciated China's endeavors and transparency in his tweet on Jan 25; he had a phone call with his Chinese counterpart on Feb 7, when he spoke highly of China's response to the epidemic; on March 13, he told reporters that China's sharing of its data helped the U.S. to deal with the virus.  

The U.S. administration now seems determined to impute its belated, and so far, ineffective, actions in dealing with the pandemic at home to China, as the situation has taken a sudden turn and become worse rapidly since earlier this month in the U.S. 

In a comment published recently, the New York Times pointed out that talking of a "Chinese Virus" is being used to try to distract public attention and cover up the administration's failure in responding to it. 

The Atlantic Monthly said that resorting to stigmatism is making Americans believe that the failure in controlling the situations is not the government's fault. 

Frank Snowden, a professor emeritus of history and history of medicine with Yale University, said some domestic politicians' use of discriminatory words is quite provocative.

Alloush, member of Central Committee, the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, said it was firmly against some countries politicizing the pandemic.

Some U.S. media outlets have actually exposed how the window of opportunity was wasted. For instance, it took the government nearly three weeks to settle a problem with the testing kits it was providing; the testing was not only expensive but also sensitive; different departments were kicking the ball to each other; the White House tried to downplay the situation. It is an example of low efficiency, if not bureaucracy, by  Washington that has exposed the American people to an otherwise preventable public health crisis.

In contrast, the unprecedented epidemic-control measures the CPC and the Chinese government have taken to contain the contagion have not only brought the virus to heel, but also made it possible for the country to provide material and personnel supports to more than 80 countries around the world. China has shared its epidemic-control experience with more than 100 political parties. Slumber Tsogwane, chairman of the Botswana Democratic Party and the country's vice president, noted that the epidemic was not just a challenge for China but rather a common challenge for the whole world. Had the outbreak originated in another country, the consequences would have been unimaginable, he said.

Tsogwane said that China had been actively sharing information and its experiences with the World Health Organization and other countries, demonstrating its sense of responsibility as a major country. 

Party leaders from Bangladesh, Israel and some other countries and regions have also endorsed China's stance and practices. 

Fazle Hossain Badsha, general secretary of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, said the stigmatism against China is a plot to try to ruin the CPC and the Chinese government's reputation and prestige among people around the world. 

Marwan Sudah, chairman of the International Union of Arab Journalists and Writers, Friends and Allies of China, said that some Western countries' behavior was intended to add insult to injury, and their true purpose is to contain China's development.

Issam Makhoul, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Israel, said that they are against some countries' efforts to politicize the pandemic, and take advantage of the pandemic to demonize China's national image, as only solidarity and mutual assistance can help the world overcome the difficulty.

It is to be hoped that American politicians can heed the voices of the world to discard their prejudice and pride. Now is the time to work together to overcome the difficulty through international solidarity.

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