White paper restorative tonic for those whose community spirit has waned

Listing the key developments from Dec 27 last year, when the first patient with pneumonia of an unknown cause was reported by a hospital in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, to May 31, when 94.3 percent of the 83,017 people on the Chinese mainland infected by the novel coronavirus had been treated and recovered, the white paper on China's battle against the COVID-19 issued by the State Council Information Office on Sunday is a sort of national diary recording the tremendous "people's war" the country waged against the virus.

Reading it will make most of those who waged war against the coronavirus on the front line－whether they be community workers, doctors, journalists or others－choke up with emotions, as it provides many details that might otherwise have been left to gather dust and forgotten over time. Now with them chronicled in the white paper, they will be carved into the nation's collective memory.

Although the white paper studiously avoids calling the nation's achievement in containing the contagion a "victory", China was one of the first countries to bring its domestic situation under control, having been the first country to be hard-hit by the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Although the epidemic has changed the lives of many, the nation passed the unexpected test.

And having conducted an all-out war against the virus on different fronts－treating the infected and preventing new infections; exhausting all means to save lives and expediting research on therapies－and effectively containing the contagion at home, China has done what it can to assist other countries fighting their battles with the virus and promoted international solidarity.

While showing how united the nation can be, this global threat has also showed how important it is for the world to unite. Countries must appreciate that such menaces are a common enemy and there is no escaping the reality that we are all members of a community with a shared future in the face of them.

That's why China has wasted no time in disclosing its findings on the virus and its therapy, dispatching 29 expert medical teams to 27 countries, and donating essential medical supplies to 150 countries and four international organizations, even when it was in the toughest stage of its own struggle with this "devil".

And that sense of responsibility has been displayed by the whole of Chinese society, with people from all walks of life extending a helping hand to others. Which is why workers have been keeping factories running around the clock to provide necessary medical equipment to the world－China exported to 200 countries 70.6 billion masks, 340 million protective suits, 115 million pairs of goggles, 96,700 ventilators, enough test kits to 225 million persons, and 40.29 million infrared thermometers from March to May.

It is to be hoped the white paper will instill confidence that the world can secure a final victory against the virus, and prompt those trying to exploit the pandemic for their narrow ends to regain their senses.