Editor's note: Cui Xiaotao is an assistant research fellow with the department for American studies at China Institute of International Studies. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

At the beginning of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in China, some American media predicted that the outbreak would turn into an uncontrollable disaster in the country. China quickly adopted a series of effective measures across the country, which have significantly improved the epidemic situation. While, in the United States, the Trump administration and some politicians tried to downplay the severity of the crisis and didn't do enough preparation, which have led to a spread of COVID-19 in the United States.

Those politicians should have examined their own doings in the control of the epidemic to make up for mistakes. But some senior politicians just tried to shift attention, accusing China of being responsible for the pandemic in America.

For example, President Trump had repeatedly chosen to call COVID-19 the "Chinese virus." His Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not only followed his steps by calling it the "Wuhan virus," but went even further by saying that China will "continue to be…a true strategic competitor for the United States." This Wednesday, Senator Rick Scott tweeted that the World Health Organization (WHO) has helped China "covering up a global pandemic" and he is calling for "a Congressional investigation into what the WHO knew and when they knew it." On April 2, Congressman Michael McCaul told The Hill, an American media, that "they (China) are exacerbating the problem by selling faulty equipment to fight the disease."

There are many reasons why those American politicians have been finding faults in China. The first is to justify their own failure in preventing the epidemic and look for "scapegoats." The second is their deep distrust towards China, which is out of the political prejudice of Western values and ideology. The third is that some of them would seize every opportunity to contain China from the perspective of geopolitical competition. Those approaches not only have not helped control the pandemic but also affected American public's opinion, worsening their attitude towards China, which eventually impair the relations between both countries.

Actually, COVID-19 can be an opportunity or a trap for Sino-U.S. relations. If those American politicians continue to politicize the pandemic, turning it into an enmity between the two countries, the bilateral relations will downward to a new low level. At the same time, this epidemic can also be a good chance for America and China to clear misunderstandings and start to cooperate.

In the era of profound globalization, slandering China from an ideological and geopolitical perspective is not conducive to overcome its own COVID-19 crisis, nor to the benefit of the worldwide fight against this epidemic. This epidemic should be used by those China-bashing politicians as a prism to reflect upon their thinking and policy towards China. To improve Sino-U.S. relations by using the opportunity brought by this pandemic, here are some suggestions for those politicians.

First, blame game will not help the situation. Virus is the common enemy of all mankind. At a time when the origin of COVID-19 has yet to be probed by scientific research, pointing fingers at China will only aggravate the hostility between China and the United States and worsen the relationship between the two countries. That will be detrimental to possible cooperation between the two countries to fight the epidemic.

Second, the epidemic is not a tool to be exploited for political gain. Fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic is not about competition of political institutions between America and China, but a war between life and death, a war between humankind and the virus. This epidemic should not be used as a tool to achieve any selfish political purpose. Politicization of the epidemic contributes only to the further deterioration of the situation. Certain American politicians should abandon their selfish purpose and prejudice against China, and turn to constructive ways to fight epidemic.

The third is to try to understand and take an objective view of China's governance system per se. The epidemic is a daunting challenge to both China and the United States in testing and improving their respective governance systems and capabilities. The fact that China has made progress in coping with COVID-19 proves that China's governance system is efficient and pragmatic, and suit China's national conditions. It is time for the certain American politicians to take an objective view of China's governance system.

The last is that global mutual aid is much needed to tackle this challenge. The global spread of COVID-19 within a short period of time has shown that globalization has connected countries around the world like never before. Only by cooperating in unity can nations of the world cope with the challenges facing all humankind. China's efforts to help other countries fight the epidemic are a reckoning of the reality. Cooperation between America and China is much needed at this critical moment.

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