H.E. Dr. Mohamed Elbadri, Egypt's ambassador to China, has extended a solidarity message to China in fight against the COVID-19.
"China is not fighting this spread of the virus for itself alone. It is fighting on behalf of the whole world," said he.
The following is the full script of his message.
First of all, let me wish all China our heartfelt sympathy for the victims of novel coronavirus spread which is an echo of the spirit of H.E. President Elsisisi's letter to H.E. President Xi Jinping of PRC.
Our humble assistance to China is only a reaction to the historic roots of our relations and an indicator of appreciation, solidarity and affection between the two leaders and their peoples. China will always be in our hearts.
Egypt and China, both parties have renewed their efforts to upgrade the existing brotherly relations between our two countries. As was declared, there is a decision and a resolve to elevate it to the level of a Community with a Shared Future. This will open new horizons for our relationship and further enhance additional prospects for world peace, stability and prosperity.
China is not fighting this spread of the virus for itself alone. No. It is fighting on behalf of the whole world. This must be understood. The second fact is that international and national support for its efforts is an "act of enlightened self-interest"…
Should China fail God forbid, then the whole world will be in very deep trouble. These strong efforts were the forefront battle undertaken by China, thereby giving the rest of the world the opportunity to get their defenses ready. China has taken very strong and drastic measures to curb this epidemic. Its capacity to mobilize the state and the people is formidable. It saved the world from what could have been an international full outbreak of the virus. We have full faith in the success of China in this endeavor.
I am very impressed by the capacity of the state to mobilize the people. Its waves of raising public awareness is simply impressive and transparent. As a rule if it’s not transparent, it will never be credible and this will have an inverse effect on the populace and the mobilization strategy.
Perhaps, I and some fellow ambassadors are impressed very much by the capacity of the state to build two full-scale hospitals in a span of a few days and equip it. That is an example to be taught about governance and state capacity.
Also I am very impressed by the government's capacity to adapt quickly to the changing circumstances and indicators. If it sees a better course to follow it immediately does so. Flexibility is crucial in such national crisis management.
Today, in our globalized world, no country is living on its own in isolation. That age is finished and is not expected to return. This interdependence, be it in epidemics or terrorism, has made the world vulnerable to any event happening in another country. We all followed China's response to the outbreak and its communication with the WHO and other institutions.
As I mentioned, without transparency and credibility all efforts internationally will have a diminishing role. Perhaps it is a lesson for all of us to learn. You can't shield yourself or your nationals when facing such a human threat. Unless we stand firmly together we will all suffer.
This is a purely public health incident, but we still see some international overreaction, panic and even discrimination. Let’s be practical and understanding. Yes, there has been overreaction and panic. This could be understood.
People can get scared to the fullest extent and very few countries have the capacity China possesses and you can see the effect this outbreak is having on it. It's understandable… but it has to be followed by official and media narratives to put things in perspective to the ordinary international citizen.
Also, it’s not the time to use this misery and hardship to earn points. Everybody, every nation, has a vested interest in China's success.
"I thought of time and distance.. The hardship of history.. I heard the hope and the hunger when China sang to me”. These were the lyrics of Rush's album in 1987 "Hold your fire". Today, China is the second strongest economy in the world. It raised nearly 850 million people from absolute poverty, and its mark is upon world politics.
China's development model is all inclusive, with a trickle-down effect on every citizen, from hunger eradication to hi-tech superiority. Had the author of this song Neil Peart been alive today, the sequel to this song would have probably been entitled The Miracle.
China is a miracle of strong governance, clear vision and, above all, hard work and consistency. You must be proud of your achievements. But remember, if China is the gift of civilization, success is the gift of strong peoples.