Former Egyptian PM applauds China’s role in combating COVID-19

   BEIJING, March 25  -- What China has been doing since the COVID-19 outbreak highlights China's commitment to the "community with shared future," said former Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf in an interview with Xinhua.
   Sharaf applauded the impressive progress made by China during this anti-virus war, attributing it to the Chinese government's professional crisis management and the role of the Chinese people, who heeded the requirements in a disciplined way.
   China has been diligently stemming the virus inside its borders. He said the world should learn from China's experience, including coordinated working groups, lockdowns, and support from all corners of society for the epicenters of the pandemic.
   Meanwhile, in the light of its "community with shared future" vision, China has offered help to many countries in the Middle East and other regions, and cooperated with the rest of the world on curbing transmission, offering diagnostic kits and providing treatment plans.
   "The world has become a village, the interests of different countries have become intertwined. Thus, no country can achieve real development on its own. No country can face global challenges such as the COVID-19 epidemic on its own. That is why it is wise to adopt the concept of joint development," the former PM said.
   International coordination and cooperation must be sincere, Sharaf added, pointing out that some are trying to politicize the pandemic. He said that naming a disease after the name of a certain country or area is against the World Health Organization's decisions. Only those who cannot perform their domestic and global leadership roles well have resorted to placing blame and responsibility on others.
   When talking about cooperation between Egypt and China, the former prime minister said the two civilizations share many moral values, which call for cooperation and offering help to others, and that today's world needs those values.
   He also said the COVID-19's effects on sectors such as trade, tourism and aviation are temporary and short-term, and that Egypt and China would continue their close cooptation.
   "I have great confidence in restoring cooperation between the two countries in a way that may be much deeper when the epidemic ends," he said.  Xinhua