[Global Times Comprehensive Report] "With the spread of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus, fear has intensified racial discrimination and xenophobia," CNN reported on January 31. According to data from the World Health Organization, in addition to China, 18 countries have confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus. At the same time, cases of discrimination against Chinese and even Asians have occurred in many countries.

The Mayor of Seoul: When the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome broke out in South Korea, the Chinese government did not ban Koreans from entering the country

"New York Times" report on January 31 It said that "anti-China sentiment" has appeared in many countries along with the epidemic, and published a photo of a dozen South Korean protesters holding signs demanding "no entry of Chinese tourists." According to a report by South Korea's Kookmin Daily on the 31st, the top leaders of South Korea's largest opposition party, the Liberty Korea Party (formerly the ruling Saenuri Party), have been making remarks in recent days, urging the government to immediately ban Chinese from entering South Korea. The party held a Supreme Committee meeting on the 30th. Its congressional representative (second-in-command) Shim Jae-cheol claimed that the South Korean people are now trembling because of fear of the epidemic, but the South Korean government "looks at China's eyes" and cannot make a decision. "This is incompetence and irresponsible government".

"It is extremely irresponsible for South Korea's largest opposition party to politicize the epidemic." South Korea's "Korean News" published an editorial on the 30th, pointing out that when many South Korean citizens fell into excessive anxiety due to the pneumonia epidemic, as a The largest opposition party, the Liberty Korea Party, not only failed to take measures to dissuade it, but instead blindly and irresponsibly instigated it to gain its own interests. This is lamentable. The top leaders of the party even made extreme remarks such as "banning Chinese from entering the country and deporting all Chinese tourists", which is really embarrassing and embarrassing. These measures are neither legitimate nor feasible. Instead, they will immediately trigger controversy over discrimination against foreigners and lead to diplomatic disputes with China.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon made a statement on the 31st. According to Korean media reports, Park Won-soon participated in a political commentary program on KBS1 radio that day and said that when the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic broke out in South Korea, the Chinese government did not ban Koreans from entering the country. Therefore, some Koreans now demand that "Chinese people be banned from entering." , is a purely irresponsible proposition. Park Won-soon emphasized that the Chinese should not be discriminated against because of the epidemic in China. What South Korea needs to do now is not to condemn or hate, but to work with the Chinese people to overcome the crisis.

Recently, there have been calls from some people in Malaysia and Singapore to "ban Chinese from entering the country." Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad explicitly ruled out this possibility. He said on January 27 that the "closure of the city" in Wuhan demonstrated China's determination to control the epidemic, and warned that "although we believe in freedom of speech, this does not mean that we can maliciously incite others." According to Malaysia's "Malaysiakini" report on the 31st, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin stressed when attending a local Spring Festival event on the 30th that the virus should not be used to "play with racial issues."

France and Italy: "Chinese are discriminated against" attracts attention

Some Western media are fueling racism, which is despicable. CNN reported on the 31st that last weekend, the French media "Picard Courier" published an article titled "Yellow Alert" on the front page, and another article titled "New Yellow Peril?" These reports and titles caused widespread indignation. A large number of readers accused it of "using ignorant and offensive language." The newspaper quickly apologized, saying it had no intention of perpetuating "racial stereotypes of Asians." A front-page report by Australia's Herald Sun on January 29 called the coronavirus the "Chinese virus" sparked dissatisfaction. More than 50,000 people signed a petition demanding an apology from the newspaper.

""Keep your virus, dirty Chinese!" Coronavirus causes anti-Asian racism in France," French "Le Monde" published an article with this title on the 30th, reporting Asians have been subjected to "discriminatory" words and behavior in France recently. According to the observation of the "Global Times" reporter in France, after the outbreak, the Chinese community around the reporter initially responded very positively. Everyone spontaneously donated money and materials to buy masks to support Wuhan. But in the past two days, most of what everyone talked about every day was about the grievances of children going to school and being teased by classmates for being nicknamed "Chinese virus." However, some people believe that "racial discrimination" is an extremely rare phenomenon in France.

In Italy, the situation seems to be even more serious. As the epidemic spreads, the relationship between Chinese and Italians living in Italy has become increasingly tense. There are more and more reports of local people discriminating and insulting Chinese, and Chinese businesses and places have also been deeply affected. The Conservatory of Music in Rome sent an email to all teachers and students on the afternoon of January 29, saying that due to the pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus, students from Eastern countries (including China, South Korea, Japan, etc.) have been suspended from classes. This caused huge controversy. There are about 100 students from the East. There is also a mother in Milan, Italy who called on Italian children to "stay away from Chinese classmates" on social media. Italy's largest newspaper Corriere della Sera published a report on the 30th titled "China Street, beware of the virus: stay away from Chinese people, masks are running out", implying without evidence that local China Street and Chinese businesses have Possibility of infection.

AFP reported on the 31st that the Chinese community in Italy issued a warning about this phenomenon. Francesco Wu, a member of the Italian Business Federation, told La Stampa that these phenomena were "ridiculous and infuriating." "This is completely unreasonable, especially when it involves children, and it is more harmful. This is ignorance. and potential racial discrimination." At the same time, health agencies in many places in Italy also sent letters to schools in their jurisdictions, stating that "there is no need to take measures to restrict Chinese children from entering the school community."

After Australia evacuated its citizens, it was quarantined on the island for two weeks

After the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus, many countries evacuated their citizens from Wuhan, but this also caused a lot of controversy. According to Deutsche Welle, South Korea quarantined more than 700 evacuated Korean citizens in two locations, but local residents protested on the 30th and threw eggs and plastic bottles at government ministers who went to explain the policy. Australia plans to quarantine evacuated citizens on remote Christmas Island for two weeks, sparking criticism. Christmas Island is located in the Indian Ocean, about 2,600 kilometers northwest of the Australian mainland. It has hosted thousands of asylum seekers since 2003, but the conditions on the island have been criticized by the United Nations and human rights organizations.

The BBC stated that the vast majority of Australian citizens planned to evacuate from Wuhan are of Chinese descent, and they question whether "White Australia" (white Australians) will be treated differently. Sydney man Daniel Ouyang told the BBC: "We are treated like this because we are not White Australia? Just because we are China Australia?" This week, the United States and Japan have evacuated hundreds of their citizens (from China) to Its big cities in China.

The Australian government defended itself as the best solution in the short term. Australian Home Affairs Minister Dutton said on the 30th, "I cannot empty a hospital in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane." The Australian government stated on the 31st that it would send "considerable" medical equipment and 24 medical personnel to the island to build "a deployable hospital." But the Australian Medical Association said it would be better for the evacuees to be quarantined on the Australian mainland. "Deporting them to Christmas Island - a place where people who have suffered severe mental and physical trauma and extreme pain - is not really an appropriate solution." "

Rumors are rampant in Western social media

"History shows that viruses often lead to an increase in conspiracy theories, disinformation and discrimination", United States" "Capitol Hill" website reported on January 30 that fear peddling or deliberately spread rumors have always been an unfortunate side effect of such deadly viruses. This fear and its subsequent conspiracy theories can lead to dangerous consequences, not least in the form of racism-induced violence. Tweets and Facebook posts from US conspiracy theorists claimed drinking bleach could protect against the virus. Thomas Reed, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, told Bloomberg that "compared to the era before the popularity of social media, rumors spread faster and more widely, and are difficult to eliminate."

The "New York Times" stated on the 31st that there is more and more false information about the virus. One of the most viewed videos on YouTube in South Korea claimed that "China's biological and chemical weapons facilities leaked the coronavirus," a claim that has been circulated in many countries. The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Italy had to issue a statement on January 28, criticizing "this is a false report that is based on nothing." Tim Sofmasene, the former human rights commissioner of the Australian government, said that racism feeds on fear and anxiety and that although the virus originated in China, "viral diseases have no racial or ethnic characteristics."

CNN said that Chinese communities and local authorities in many countries are trying to prevent this fear from becoming hysterical. In a statement this week confirming the first case of coronavirus in Los Angeles, the local health department stressed that "people should not be excluded from events based on race, country of origin or recent travel if the person is asymptomatic." In Toronto, Canada, As thousands petitioned for local schools to quarantine Chinese students returning from break, the head of the local public health department warned that misinformation about the virus was causing "unnecessary stigmatization of members of our community" and that "discrimination is unacceptable." Accept that spreading false information cannot protect anyone.¡± Toronto Mayor Tory delivered a speech on the 29th, condemning stigmatization and discrimination against the local Chinese community, ¡°We must not let fear defeat our values.¡±

[Global Times special correspondents in Italy, France and Singapore Ye Qi, Tang Lanxi, Xin Bin, Zhang Jing and Wang Huicong]

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