Utah resolution backs China's virus fight

Utah's government has unanimously passed a resolution expressing solidarity with the Chinese people during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Utah House, Senate and governor on March 12 supported the concurrent resolution S.C.R. 8 acknowledging the serious public health risk of COVID-19.

The measure expresses solidarity and support for efforts to contain the coronavirus in China and conveys sympathy for those affected by the virus around the world.

"Viruses don't respect our borders. They don't respect which people are infected and which people are not. I really hope that this can sort of change the conversation between the US and China to a more positive direction. It doesn't matter where the virus came from, what matters is that we can come together as world citizens, despite differences and fight it, said Dan Stephenson of Salt Lake City.

Stephenson lived in Beijing from 2002 to 2011, and experienced the SARS outbreak. He said the US and China should put aside their differences and work together on global health problems.

Stephenson has great affection for the Chinese people and believes the US-China relationship is the most important relationship in the world.

He has approached local businesses to help send donated protective gear to China after the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.

"Instead of fighting each other, our two nations should fight the virus together," Stephenson said.

Utah has strong relationships with China, which is a top trading partner for the state, and many Utah companies have business operations in China.

Utah leads the nation in K-12 Chinese-language study, with more than 15.000 students studying Mandarin. In 2019, the state hosted Chinese government and business leaders during the Golden 47 Spike Anniversary, which highlighted the contributions of Chinese and other immigrants in Utah's history and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Over the past 18 months, as the US-China trade dispute continued, Utah has taken several government delegations to China to communicate its friendship and promote reciprocal trade opportunities, particularly in energy and agriculture.

The government statement about the law said a global health threat such as COVID-19 calls for an empathetic global response in order to preserve the health, happiness and prosperity of individuals within the global community.

Sponsors of the resolution included Utah state Senator Jacob Anderegg and Utah state Representative Eric Hutchings.