Coronavirus 2019-2020 thread (no unsubstantiated rumours!)

[Hendrik_2000]

China, SK, Japan deepen ties amid epidemic

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Source:Global Times Published: 2020/2/11
We may have different social system and have dispute. But when tragedy struck people will close rank because it affect common people and has nothing to do with ideology or bad history

Supportive banners outside the South Korean Embassy in Beijing. Photo: South Korean Embassy


South Korea and Japan have both shown great support for China amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, which many Chinese citizens hailed as a sign of the deepening friendship of the three East Asian countries.

The government of Seoul, capital of South Korea, said on Tuesday it would donate medical supplies and equipment worth around 3.5 million yuan ($506,000) to dozens of Chinese cities including Beijing, to help China combat the pneumonia epidemic.

Yonhap News Agency reported that medical supplies to China include 1,000 protective outfits, 500 pairs of medical goggles, and 30 thermal imaging cameras, and the country's Korea Federation of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprise) also participated in the donation.

A batch of materials are expected to leave Incheon International Airport and arrive in Seoul's Chinese sister cities, including Beijing and some other cities in Northeast China's Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces, on Wednesday, it reported.

Seoul mayor Park Won-soon also extended his gratitude toward Beijing's previous assistance of special assistance teams to Seoul during the MERS outbreak, and wished China a rapid easing of the current difficulties.

Additionally, the Korean Embassy displayed a banner which read, "China's difficulties are also ours." The embassy wrote in a post on China's Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo, including a picture of the banner that read "South Korean Embassy is with you," with the hashtag "because we are family."

Japan also showed sincerity amid the outbreak.

Lawmakers of the Japanese ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), would each donate around 320 yuan to China, Toshihiro Nikai, the party secretary general told the media on Monday.

Japan is ready to mobilize the whole country and provide all assistance possible to China in combating the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, heavyweights of the ruling camp, including Toshihiro Nikai, said on Friday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

A friend in need is a friend indeed, said Nikai, adding that the Japanese side is ready to spare no effort to provide all possible assistance to China and work with China to combat the epidemic.

Japan has collected 120,000 sets of protective outfits and will send them to medical institutions in Hubei, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces as well as other places as soon as possible, Nikai said.

The epidemic has proved who are true friends, and China will remember, Chinese netizens said.

"Come to Harbin [capital of Heilongjiang Province] and the local cuisine will be my treat, dear friend," wrote one Weibo user, welcoming friends from Japan and South Korea.

A TV station in North China's Shanxi Province withdrew the airing of a TV series that contains plots about the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945), with netizens speculating that the withdrawal is a response to Japan's friendly gestures as it has done a lot to assist in the novel coronavirus pneumonia fight in China.

 

[Hendrik_2000]

Another German blogger living in Shanghai come out in defense of China

German blogger seeks to fight racism amid novel coronavirus epidemic
Source:Global Times Published: 2020/2/7 0:31:34

Thomas Derksen Photo: screenshot from video posted by Thomas Derksen on Sina Weibo Wednesday

A video titled "Don't isolate China, isolate the virus" posted on Wednesday by a German blogger on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo soon gathered more than 25,000 likes and over 5,500 reposts.

Shanghai-based Thomas Derksen, also known by his Chinese nickname Afu, originally posted the video on Facebook on Monday, earning 18,000 likes and 14,000 shares. Chinese netizens extended gratitude to Derksen and suggested he post it to Sina Weibo.

"Normally I speak Chinese or German in my videos, even it's not perfect, but I decided to speak English in this video, so more people can understand my message," said Derksen in the video. He expressed that he was upset by the discriminations some of his Chinese friends had encountered overseas.

"As global citizens living on the same planet, the first thing we should think of is how we can support and help each other. What we need now is compassion… Let us isolate the virus, not the people," he said.

Many Chinese netizens were touched by the positive message, as well as by the many people from different countries who also spoke out to share this belief.

A video posted Thursday on TikTok showed that people were holding signs such as "China ≠ virus," "xenophobia = virus" and "stop bullying." The post was captioned "seen in downtown Madrid. Such a heart-warming scene! Stay strong, China!" The post instantly earned more than 23,200 likes.

"Thank you. Love has no border," responded Chinese netizens.

Looking back a bit on Monday, Amir Gal-Or, honorary president of the Israel Chamber of Commerce in China, posted a message on Sina Weibo in both English and Chinese: "As a Jewish person I am ashamed of the recent incidents around the world regarding what seems to be racism against Chinese."

"I am disappointed to see people from different countries taking a one side view of the coronavirus using prejudiced views, leveraging the misfortune for political economical targets," he wrote in the English post. The post also included a picture of a sign reading "Jews not allowed." Such signs were put in many places in Europe during the last century, he noted.

The post was flooded with comments from Chinese netizens, who shared the same message, "Thank you very much, especially during such a difficult time."

 

[SpicySichuan]

Hey Josh, how many times you gonna post crap like this knowing full well that the stability of the CCP over China basically only fluctuates between 99 and 99.5%? Or do you even know that?

But by doing things like preventing doctors from alerting the public about an incoming crisis, the CCP is eroding the very stability and support it desires. As these mistakes accumulate, it risk pushing the more educated Chinese populace and professionals toward the arms of liberal democracies.
Also, where did you get the 99 to 99.5% figure? Is that published by the CCP propaganda apparatus? I acknowledge the fact the CCP still enjoys overwhelming support within China, but keep in mind that you still got extremely powerful groups like Falun Gong, overseas Chinese liberal intellectuals, Chinese Christian organizations, and those who participated in political activism back in 1989 (not to mention the rebellious, but heathen, minorities killing Han Chinese and trying to carve out half of PRC territories for their so-called "national liberations"). Then there is a great Hong Kong revolt of 2019. I really don't see another nation state besides Iran and China that face such a powerful organized resistance (in cooperation with their fatherland's strategic competitors) from their overseas kinsman. Clearly the CCP faces numerous "domestic" rivals, so I don't see how the 99-99.5 figure makes sense. At last, a lot of resistance/non-cooperation from Chinese liberal intellectuals are more subtle, because they don't want to to lose their jobs. Otherwise, why was there such an outpouring of anger and vague demands for freedom of speech on WeChat and Weibo after Dr. Li Wenliang died?

 

[lightmap]

But by doing things like preventing doctors from alerting the public about an incoming crisis, the CCP is eroding the very stability and support it desires. As these mistakes accumulate, it risk pushing the more educated Chinese populace and professionals toward the arms of liberal democracies.
Also, where did you get the 99 to 99.5% figure? Is that published by the CCP propaganda apparatus? I acknowledge the fact the CCP still enjoys overwhelming support within China, but keep in mind that you still got extremely powerful groups like Falun Gong, overseas Chinese liberal intellectuals, Chinese Christian organizations, and those who participated in political activism back in 1989 (not to mention the rebellious, but heathen, minorities killing Han Chinese and trying to carve out half of PRC territories for their so-called "national liberations"). Then there is a great Hong Kong revolt of 2019. I really don't see another nation state besides Iran and China that face such a powerful organized resistance (in cooperation with their fatherland's strategic competitors) from their overseas kinsman. Clearly the CCP faces numerous "domestic" rivals, so I don't see how the 99-99.5 figure makes sense. At last, a lot of resistance/non-cooperation from Chinese liberal intellectuals are more subtle, because they don't want to to lose their jobs. Otherwise, why was there such an outpouring of anger and vague demands for freedom of speech on WeChat and Weibo after Dr. Li Wenliang died?

Josh is a Hong Kong name yes?

 

[lightmap]

I think we all should appreciate Chinese doctors' hard work and sacrifices. They need to be recognized for their inputs and should be rewarded accordingly.
As with revolt, yes, China has long faced revolts from overseas Chinese communities, Chinese Christians, minorities, and more subtly, domestic liberal intellectuals. Maybe President Xi should ask himself when so many well-educated Chinese intellectuals and private entrepreneurs choose to be second class citizens in white men's countries' and renounce their first class citizenship in the People's Republic. They know they could never become mainstream in the U.S., Australia, and Canada, yet, they still rush to immigrate to Anglo-Saxon countries. And why do Hong Kongers prefer being the "dogs" of the white men than becoming proud citizens of the People's Republic? Why? There has to be more reasons than rich white men's propagandas alone.

The only thing China needs to most urgently learn and take away from Covid19 is to develop a state of the art early warning and detection system against all threats of virus, disease etc, one that is systematic and doesnt depend on the whistleblowing of doctors on wechat alone.

All other suggestions like adopting so called liberal western democracy, "freedum of speech", are irrelevant at best and misguided and ill motivated at worst.

 

[vesicles]

If I may suggest, do not feel obligated to have to see everything in a short period of time. I like to spend my vacation at one location for at least a week at a time, this allows me to relax and enjoy everything you love about the cruise. But at the same time, I have plenty of time to explore and discover a whole new world, enjoy the local cuisine, the art, the scenery, the music, etc. You also gain a new perspective on things we take for granted in our daily lives. You just need to be disciplined and avoid the common mistake of being obligated to see everything everywhere in the shortest time possible. Think of it as the biggest TV in real time.

Yep! When we don't go on to cruise trips, we typically spend our vacations as you suggested. We typically stay in one place for a week or two, and do casual stuff like fly fishing, mountain bike riding and horseback riding. We hate the site-seeing style, too hectic...

 

[SpicySichuan]

The only thing China needs to most urgently learn and take away from Covid19 is to develop a state of the art early warning and detection system against all threats of virus, disease etc, one that is systematic and doesnt depend on the whistleblowing of doctors on wechat alone.

I absolutely agree with this! It is better to rely on an effective institutions than human actions. That's why both Weber and Fukuyama would argue that what China needs is a more professional and problem-solving bureaucracy skin to those of Japan, Pak's South Korea, Germany, and Singapore. It doesn't necessarily need democracy, but it needs a bureaucracy that prioritizes problem-solving than self-preservation (and keep in mind that China is big, and it has been cursed by "the sky is high, the emperor is far away" for centuries). How do you achieve that, I don't know the technical details. But I do realize that the current nomenklatura system is insufficient.

 

[solarz]

I think we all should appreciate Chinese doctors' hard work and sacrifices. They need to be recognized for their inputs and should be rewarded accordingly.
As with revolt, yes, China has long faced revolts from overseas Chinese communities, Chinese Christians, minorities, and more subtly, domestic liberal intellectuals. Maybe President Xi should ask himself when so many well-educated Chinese intellectuals and private entrepreneurs choose to be second class citizens in white men's countries' and renounce their first class citizenship in the People's Republic. They know they could never become mainstream in the U.S., Australia, and Canada, yet, they still rush to immigrate to Anglo-Saxon countries. And why do Hong Kongers prefer being the "dogs" of the white men than becoming proud citizens of the People's Republic? Why? There has to be more reasons than rich white men's propagandas alone.

Why the hell are you polluting this thread with political garbage?

 

[localizer]

The only thing China needs to most urgently learn and take away from Covid19 is to develop a state of the art early warning and detection system against all threats of virus, disease etc, one that is systematic and doesnt depend on the whistleblowing of doctors on wechat alone.

All other suggestions like adopting so called liberal western democracy, "freedum of speech", are irrelevant at best and misguided and ill motivated at worst.

We're working on the vaccine and will watch out for future viruses. (African swine fever, SARS, flus...)

 

[KYli]

But by doing things like preventing doctors from alerting the public about an incoming crisis, the CCP is eroding the very stability and support it desires. As these mistakes accumulate, it risk pushing the more educated Chinese populace and professionals toward the arms of liberal democracies.
Also, where did you get the 99 to 99.5% figure? Is that published by the CCP propaganda apparatus? I acknowledge the fact the CCP still enjoys overwhelming support within China, but keep in mind that you still got extremely powerful groups like Falun Gong, overseas Chinese liberal intellectuals, Chinese Christian organizations, and those who participated in political activism back in 1989 (not to mention the rebellious, but heathen, minorities killing Han Chinese and trying to carve out half of PRC territories for their so-called "national liberations"). Then there is a great Hong Kong revolt of 2019. I really don't see another nation state besides Iran and China that face such a powerful organized resistance (in cooperation with their fatherland's strategic competitors) from their overseas kinsman. Clearly the CCP faces numerous "domestic" rivals, so I don't see how the 99-99.5 figure makes sense. At last, a lot of resistance/non-cooperation from Chinese liberal intellectuals are more subtle, because they don't want to to lose their jobs. Otherwise, why was there such an outpouring of anger and vague demands for freedom of speech on WeChat and Weibo after Dr. Li Wenliang died?

Doctors shouldn't alert public about epidemic. Not even in western countries that were allowed to do so. It is the job of the government to alert the public and coordinate resources to fight any epidemic. Wuhan government has failed to alert the public in the timely matter doesn't mean doctors are qualified to do so themselves. I don't have a problem with the government tried to discipline Dr Li but I do see that CCTV shouldn't have broadcasted it. It has a unnecessary chilly effect for people who want to speak out. And I think the Wuhan government should be more forthcoming even if they still don't have much idea about the new virus in the beginning.

Falun Gong, overseas liberals, and Chinese Christian organizations have lost much of their supports over the years. They don't pose much of a threat to the CCP anymore. Xinjiang issue has been deal with. Unlike Russia, China is trying to resolve Xinjiang issue permanently instead of passing the problem to the next generation. As for HK, HK doesn't pose much of a threat to China either. What happened in HK not only emboldened Chinese nationalism but also strengthen CCP argument of fallacy of democracy.

Chinese liberal intellectuals have always been a problem. But they don't have backbone to do anything. They can whine and moan all they want. They think they are better. They think regular Chinese are inferior. That is why nobody is going to listen to them. As for why well-educated Chinese left China, it is simply economy. Most of our parents, grandparents left China for a better future in the west. At the time, China is a poor place and people were having a great difficulty to make a living. A decade or two from now, China would become more prosper than ever. Then China would become a magnet for immigrants and intellectuals.