China: An inscrutable country

No other country in the world is as inscrutable as China. China, more often than not, earns the level of notoriety for the double standard it maintains. The world now can find yet another stamp of the ambiguity of China as far as the spread of coronavirus is concerned. The President of the USA, Donald Trump has rightly termed coronavirus as ‘Chinese Virus’ as the USA experiences the loss of human lives to an optimum level. More than 50,000 lives have been lost so far in the USA. Many world leaders believe that China has concealed the exact number of death toll. Allegation is rife in India that the lakhs of PPE kits to fight the deadly disease sent are found to be below standard. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in his day-to-day briefing to the press, has let the people know that India would return the PPE kits to China once more adverse reports come and that India is yet to make payment against the kits brought. Meanwhile, all developed countries, including those of Europe, have suffered heavy losses. At one point of time, we were prompted to believe things are slipping out fast to control the disease. Fortunately, now it turns for the better. But whatever might be the case, the million- dollar question still hovers over the rest of the world is: Why has China concealed its death toll? John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the USA commented once – The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘Crisis’, one brush strokes stand for danger, the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware for the danger but recognize the opportunity. In the crisis faced by China arising out of coronavirus, the comment made by John F. Kennedy, the ex- President of the USA about 60 years ago still has wonderful relevance.

Ashok Bordoloi,

Dibrugarh