By Li Hongmei People's Daily Online
That China adopts and defends strict quarantine amid flu threat is by no means at expense of the diplomatic relations with all the others. Unfortunately, its efforts to prevent a A/H1N1 flu outbreak in the world's most populated country is leading to a potential diplomatic row with Mexico, as Chinese health authorities took precautions to the effect including quarantining scores of Mexicans after one of them was reported to be infected.
What is beyond even the ordinary Chinese is the undue responses from the Mexican government to the very steps China takes in times of emergency. Mexico's foreign minister, Patricia Espinosa, told a news conference last Saturday that the virus control and prevention measures adopted by the Chinese side were 'discriminatory and ungrounded' and that the government is advising Mexicans to 'stay away from China.'
She also criticized four Latin American countries—Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Cuba—for suspending flights coming from Mexico against the recommendation of the WHO. Perhaps, Mexico felt so put out partially as a result of the biased coverage on the outbreak by some Western media, who not only hit out at the Mexican government for its inaction and inefficiency but prejudiced against the Mexican nationals as well. This enraged the Mexican government, and also vested it with an excuse to derail the public opinions from finger pointing the government by shifting its own trouble onto others. China's quarantine measures at the time, if nothing else, can be better to seize on to make a fuss.
China, however, has no intention of tarnishing the bilateral friendship over trifles, as the focus should be invariably shifted on control and prevention, if ever crisis hits, instead of something trivial. And in actuality, the Chinese government and people are sincerely and consistently side with the Mexican people in combating the flu outbreak. When the flu was initially reported in Mexico, millions of Chinese netizens began to flood in their great concern and strong support through Internet, as the bitter memories of the massive outbreak of SARS in 2003 are still lingering, and they fully know of the agony now afflicting the Mexican people.
Also in a goodwill measure, China, as the first country, sent Mexico the final batch in a $5 million humanitarian assistance package. Even in response to the irresponsible remarks made by Fidel Herrera, governor of Mexican State of Veracruz, saying the virus came along with the Chinese tourists, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had no intention to launch a tit-for-tat diplomatic battle against Mexico's illogical accusations of China. This is also a goodwill gesture the Chinese side has thus far made to keep in line with the time-honored China-Mexico friendship.
The other way round, China can always have the cardinal rules in mind and take the overall situation into account. In 2003, when China was considered as the epicenter of an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, the organizing committee for FIFA Women's World Cup decided to cancel the match hosted by Shanghai. Later the match was moved to the U.S., and the Chinese team was put under the forced quarantine for exactly 11 days before getting the permission to appear on the football green. The decision was then readily accepted by both the Chinese government and people as understandable. After all, nothing is comparable in importance to life and public health. In face of the outbreak of a severe epidemic, each country and people should share the responsibility to deter it from wide spread and going global.
Referring to the specter of SARS which shrouded the entire Chinese nation in 2003, and to date the fear is still hovering over the mind of every Chinese, China has reason to think that both the reaction from Mexican government and behind it the logic seem quite incomprehensible. While consistently expressing support to the pandemic-hit areas and people, many Chinese netizens also spoke out of their mind.
'We are not the ones to have initiated this approach. We have been forced to act in this way,' said a blogger named Thin Hope. As a matter of fact, the prompt decision to launch strict quarantine against the outbreak has won great plaudits within China, where in 2003 the authorities were blamed for a slow and ineffective initial response to SARS.
In this light, the government has fully realized that a good cause will probably gain abundant support. It is hoped that Mexican government could draw upon China's experience and lesson, and will be bent on the undertakings against flu virus. It is no point transferring problems and contradictions to others.
It is not an opportune time to start a diplomatic war, but a time to join efforts with the rest of the world to launch a battle against epidemic outbreak.
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