Racial Discrimination and Self-Discrimination with the Escalation of the Epidemic

 Racial Discrimination and Self-Discrimination with the Escalation of the Epidemic

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

February 10, 2020

 Translation of an Excerpt

Several days ago, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke at a Lunar New Year banquet, saying that in some countries there appeared extraordinary emotions because of the epidemic; this is a most stupid and illogical mentality. He emphasized that this epidemic is a public health emergency, not a question between countries, nor a racial question.

As the novel coronavirus spreads, various localities one after another reported questions of racial discrimination. The West, even East Asia, all have acts of boycotting "Chinese". Sophisticated atmospherics also reverberate inside Chinese circles, not only "nationals of China", as long as they are Chinese, even Asians, have met with nonsensical treatment in different countries. The saddest thing is self-discrimination amongst the Chinese themselves.

Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which believe they have figured among the “advanced civilized world”, cast toward the Mainland a despicable attitude, not knowing that this discrimination within the same race is veritably the root for the West to be even more discriminatory toward Chinese. Discrimination is no help for epidemics prevention, only making people conceal the epidemic situation and causing more extensive infections. Lee Hsien Loong was on the point; finding the fountainhead, this is a public health emergency, not an international question, nor a racial question. People should no longer be stupid or nonsensical!

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