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In the history of human beings, there have been many international crises that we've faced together. While struggling to recover from the damage they've caused, we're supposed to learn great lessons from them, to fight against COVID-19 and ease the unnecessary tension among our allies. Trust is once again a must to meet the challenges of today.
Here we reviewed three international crises — two pandemics and a financial crisis — that posed huge threats to the global community. These examples reveal the kind of trust we need today.
The first case is the 1918 influenza pandemic, the most severe pandemic of the 20th century. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin and the first known case was reported at a military base in Kansas, US, on March 11, 1918. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the US.
The 2008 financial crisis was the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression of 1929. It became a systemic financial crisis whose epicenter was no longer just in the US, but also spread to Europe and Japan and is still having a powerful impact on the growth of emerging economies.
The (H1N1) 2009 pandemic was detected first in the United States and spread quickly to 214 countries and regions across the world. The virus eventually infected 60 million and initially killed a minimum of 18,449 cases that year.
To trust science and trust the bonds between us is a priority.
In today's information age, science and scientific knowledge is our best asset, without which we're very likely to fall into conspiracy theories about the origin and spread of COVID-19. Any statement or blame ahead of scientific proof only traps people into political poppycock and intentional conflict, leading to nothing but slow reactions toward the present danger and undermining effective global cooperation.
The tight bond between us that can beat hatred, greed and ignorance should be stressed and cherished. When fighting a pandemic, cooperation instead of isolation obviously benefits us more. China always helps our friends in need, values friendship with good will and tries our best to maintain it. Lies and misinterpretations manipulated by any political groups will only contribute to an isolated and fragile world.
(Produced by Cheng Weidan, Bao Han, Xu Zheqi, Bai Yuanqi, Yan Yiqiao, Zhou Shan and Dong Yujie)
