Uncle Sam's blame game undermines science

Turning a deaf ear to the warnings from China, the United States did nothing to protect its people from the novel coronavirus. Only after China managed to largely contain the pandemic did the US get firsthand experience of the devastating nature of the virus. Tens of thousands of people were infected in the US and, as a result, no beds were available in hospitals and ICUs were full, and social disorder worsened by the day.

The turmoil in the US was a direct result of the US government's incompetence, and reluctance to fight COVID-19. Consequently, while near normal economic activities have resumed in China, the US is experiencing after-effects of its poor governance. Social conflicts have exacerbated to an alarming degree in the US, with minority groups bearing the brunt of the pandemic-induced economic slowdown, meaning the condition of already underprivileged groups has worsened further. The disorder also triggered violence and heightened racial tensions, which culminated in the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota last year and the subsequent explosion of protests across the country.

Besides, nasty rhetoric about the source of the virus has led to many innocent Asian Americans being attacked by white supremacists.

But instead of trying to overcome the crisis it faces, the US administration has resorted to the old trick of distracting the public's attention from the real problem, this time by fabricating the "lab-leak" theory and blaming China for the spread of the virus. Worse, previous president Donald Trump undermined the work of scientists and scientific organizations, and prevented them from doing their job honestly.

To contain the pandemic, the world needs public goods, not public woes; solidarity, not scapegoating; cooperation, not coercion; science, not politics; a responsible superpower, not a gangster; a peacekeeper, not a troublemaker.

－WILLIAM ZHU

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