An open letter to the people of the United States from 100 Chinese scholars

In an effort to unite China and the United States in the fight against the novel coronavirus, 100 Chinese scholars from various fields wrote an open letter to people in the United States.

In the letter, the scholars said China and the US should work together to fight the pandemic, and that politicizing or stigmatizing the virus would not be conducive to global containment. Here is the full text of the letter:

Dear American friends:

We are a group of 100 Chinese scholars representing diverse academic fields including philosophy, political science, economics, medicine, international relations, sociology, law, communications, military science and technology. Our members include a number of university professors from Wuhan. While our areas of expertise are diverse, as intellectuals we all share common concerns about the well-being of all people in China, the US, and every country on Earth.

Recently, we have heard many voices politicizing the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing the most dangerous infectious disease in a century, these criticisms help neither China, the US, nor the world to curb the spread of the virus. Political bickering does nothing to contribute to the healthy development of Sino-US relations, nor will it help the people of the world to rationally and accurately understand the pandemic.

We want to sincerely and frankly share our views with our American friends today.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health crisis of a horrific scale, one not seen in generations; the effort to overcome both it and its impact will be nothing short of an arduous global war. Countries should be working together, not complaining, finger-pointing or blaming one another. The virus does not know any borders, and neither does love, nor friendship. As two of the great countries on Earth, cooperation between China and the US could and should be used to bring about a more positive outcome for all humankind.

Respecting science, cherishing life and protecting people from harm should be our shared goals in the fight against COVID-19.

The COVID-19 outbreak in China is now basically under control. Since the virus first emerged in early January, the Chinese people have made unimaginable efforts and sacrifices to achieve hard-won results.

We are grateful for the support of the international community, including donations from American friends, during the most critical stage of the fight. We respect the epidemic containment programs and policies implemented by other countries according to their own national conditions, and we are willing to share our experiences with other countries and provide all available assistance to them.

At this stage of the pandemic, the exact source and origin of COVID-19 remain undetermined. But these questions are unimportant, and finger-pointing is demeaning and hurtful to everyone. In the end, we will all respect the final determination of scientists. Like many other countries, China is a victim of the virus, but also a success story for overcoming it, and is willing to work with people of other countries to stop the spread of the pandemic.

We sincerely hope to cooperate with the international community, including intellectuals and experts from the US that look to a brighter future. We look forward to the time when doctrines of international cooperation once again flourish around the world. We call on all nations to work together in sincere cooperation to defeat this common enemy of humanity.

Hopefully, we will soon celebrate final victory over COVID-19!

Signed by 100 scholars from China

March 26, 2020