Help, don't hinder, in virus fight, envoys say

Several Chinese ambassadors have called on the international community to support the fight against the outbreak of novel coronavirus and urged that people refrain from panicking, because the illness is preventable, controllable and curable.

Liu Xiaoming, the ambassador to the United Kingdom, said: "It is our hope that the governments of all countries, including the UK, should understand and support China's efforts, respect the professional advice of the WHO (World Health Organization), avoid over-reaction, avoid creating panic, and ensure normal cooperation and exchanges between countries."

He said at a news conference in China's London embassy on Thursday that, since the outbreak began, the Chinese government has attached "great importance to epidemic prevention and control" and that the nation has demonstrated "a great sense of responsibility", all the way down to the grassroots level.

Since the outbreak began, two hospitals were built in around 10 days in Wuhan, the capital of Central China's Hubei province. The city is at the heart of the outbreak and the hospitals are part of the massive effort to contain the virus and treat people affected by it.

At least 6,000 medical workers from 26 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions have traveled to Hubei to help with the effort. Some volunteers are veterans of the fight against SARS(severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2002-03.

In addition to taking comprehensive and strict measures domestically, China's government has attached "great importance to enhancing international cooperation" with other nations and the WHO, Liu noted.

He said the speed with which China detected the outbreak, isolated the virus, sequenced the genome, and shared the information with the WHO and the rest of the world was greatly appreciated.

In order to prevent and control the spread of the virus, actions to ban public gatherings and reduce transportation in major cities have affected the services sector in China's economy. The impact on the tourism, hospitality, catering, and entertainment sectors has been significant, especially with the Spring Festival holiday traditionally being one of the busiest times for the services industry.

Short-term impact

"But the impact will be short term and temporary," Liu said. "It will not change the fundamentals of China's economy.

"China's economy is highly resilient and has enormous potential for growth in the long term. China has the capability and confidence to minimize the economic impact of the epidemic."

He also suggested that, in terms of understanding the epidemic, people should be objective and reasonable, while calling for "fair" media reporting of it.

He added that "we should join hands to oppose any insulting or discriminatory words and behaviors", referencing recently reported cases in which overseas Chinese had become the target of racist abuse linked to the outbreak.

Zhang Jianmin, Chinese ambassador to the Czech Republic, called on the international community not to "panic or resort to excessive measures" and to have confidence in China's efforts.

He said in an open letter released on Thursday that the campaign against the virus launched by the Chinese government is "unprecedented in both scope and intensity".

"President Xi Jinping has convened top-level meetings to plan unified nationwide efforts. Premier Li Keqiang has visited the epicenter," he said.

In an interview this past week, Zhang Ming, the head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union, condemned the reported cases of discrimination and attacks on Chinese people in several European countries. But he said he believed such actions were just individual cases.

"Most Europeans have basic moral values and will not racially discriminate against people because of an epidemic," Zhang said, quoting WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: "This is the time for facts, not fear. This is the time for science, not rumors. This is the time for solidarity, not stigma."

In Belgium, Chinese Ambassador Cao Zhongming said the embassy has been working with local authorities on containment measures.

Cao said the embassy has held a joint meeting with Belgium's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health, and established a special communication channel to share information on the epidemic.