China, 5 more states oppose politicization of COVID-19

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan have expressed their opposition to a long-running campaign aimed at “politicizing” the coronavirus pandemic, stressing that tracing the origin of the virus is a matter of “science and a global mission.”

Terming the COVID-19 a “common enemy of humankind,” the six nations called for a joint response and mutual assistance for a “final victory” over it, according to a joint statement issued on Wednesday after a Foreign Ministers’ Conference on Joint Response to COVID-19.

In the video conference, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, China’s Wang Yi, A K Abdul Momen of Bangladesh, Nepal’s Pradeep Kumar, Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Gunawardena, and Mirwais Nabi, acting foreign minister of Afghanistan, exchanged views on international and regional cooperation on the pandemic response and efforts for economic recovery.

The absence of regional giant India, the country hit worst by the pandemic, from the event hosted by Beijing was conspicuous.

It was, however, unclear if New Delhi was not invited to the conference or whether it preferred to abstain.

The participating countries, however, “agreed to closely follow the development of COVID-19 situation in India, and expressed their willingness to provide needed support through respective channels in consultation with India.”

They vowed to strengthen cooperation to track COVID-19 mutations closely, the statement said.

The foreign ministers noted with satisfaction the “concerted and productive” efforts made by their countries to combat the virus and promote economic recovery in the spirit of overcoming challenges through cooperation and mutual assistance.

China expressed its readiness to provide continued medical supplies and technical assistance to the participating countries to the best of its ability, an initiative appreciated by the participating countries.

Beijing, according to the statement, would act on “President Xi Jinping’s important statement on making the vaccines a global public good, and carry out continued vaccine cooperation with the participating countries in a flexible manner, including co-production of COVID-19 vaccines.”

“The Foreign Ministers reiterated their firm support for the WHO’s due role in the global cooperation against COVID-19 and acknowledged that tracing the origin of the virus is a matter of science and a global mission,” read the statement, adding that they “expressed opposition to politicizing the issue.”

They were referring to repeated claims by the administration of former US President Donald Trump that the pandemic may have emerged from a Chinese laboratory and not through contact with infected animals.

The claims have been repeatedly rejected by the WHO and other global health bodies.

The top diplomats said vaccines, as a key weapon against the virus, should be distributed in accordance with the principle of “equity and justice.”

Stating that “vaccine nationalism” will hinder the global efforts to defeat COVID-19, they underscored the need to avoid the “immunity gap” and urged countries to "step up solidarity and cooperation to win the final victory” over the pandemic.

Recognizing the serious impact of COVID-19 on the global economy, the ministers agreed to deepen cooperation on Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road project, open their borders under the premise of pandemic prevention and control for smooth trade, keep the industrial and supply chains stable and secure, and give a stronger boost to economic recovery and the improvement of people’s lives, the statement said.

China vowed to support the participating countries in efforts to overcome the economic impact of the pandemic “through enhanced level of economic cooperation and collaboration.”

“To push forward practical cooperation in relevant fields, China announced its decision to establish a China-South Asian Countries Emergency Supplies Reserve, set up a China-South Asian Countries Poverty Alleviation and Cooperative Development Center, and hold a China-South Asian Countries E-commerce Cooperation Forum on Poverty Alleviation in Rural Areas,” the statement said.