US Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a press conference on the coronavirus at the White House in Washington D.C., the US, on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua

Instead of making an all-out effort to fight the coronavirus, some countries in the West have exploited the crisis to attack China's prevention measures, which are proving more than effective. And now that the virus has now gone global, some mainstream Western media have shifted their attacks to focus on China's "damaged" international image. 

As the first country fully mobilized to fight the virus, China has without doubt set an example for the world to follow. China's image as a responsible world power has been further strengthened, rather than dented.

China has curbed the transmission of the virus with its decisive and effective measures, that have helped other countries buy time to prepare for their own fight. It has borne the cost of locking down a city, an unprecedented halt of economic activity and massive school closures. These measures have enabled China to dramatically lower the number of new confirmed cases.  

In addition to laudable anti-epidemic efforts, China is now working hard to resume economic activity that will help kick start the global economy.

The Chinese government has also provided timely and transparent information with the WHO, other countries, and its own people. By releasing data on the virus' genetic sequence early in the outbreak and reporting accurate information on the epidemic on a daily basis, China has provided valuable resources and experience that have allowed the world to better understand and respond to the virus.

Even amid its tough fight with the virus, China has offered support and assistance to other countries. Despite its own shortage of medical staff and supplies, China has sent experts to aid Iran and Iraq, donated face masks to South Korea, sent protective goggles to Italy, and given $20 million to the WHO.

It is the US and a few other countries that have truly damaged their image. 

They have misused the time China bought for them by blaming China for so-called "delays" during the initial stage of the outbreak.  A full month after the beginning of the out-break in China, the US still has not yet equipped itself with sufficient and reliable testing kits, missing the opportunity to identify cases and curbing the spread of the virus. Large public events and rallies are still being held in the US, despite the risk of mass infection. 

A number of US politicians and officials have now put themselves in voluntary quarantine after attending a conference and coming into close contact with an infected person. Ironically, a lot of vitriol aimed at China's virus measures was heard at the Conservative Political Action Conference.   

After accusing China of providing "imperfect" data, the US is being far from transparent. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has discontinued disclosing the number of people tested for coronavirus. US Vice President Mike Pence is now the Trump administration's point person in charge of controlling coronavirus messaging from officials.

As one of the first countries to ban travelers from China, the US is now finding fault with China's essential measures such as requiring a 14-day quarantine of passengers entering from badly affected regions. 

In the eyes of other members of the international community, it appears clear which country's image has been dented.

China's response to coronavirus has won support from more than 170 state leaders and the leaders of more than 40 international and regional organizations. Yet some Western countries are still living in their own imaginary world. They portray China's effective efforts as the embodiment of autocracy, and Chinese media's objective reporting is seen as an attempt to "reframe the narrative." Yet when it comes to their country's own inaction and failures, they become silent. 

Let the West deceive itself. Let these countries dodge their faults and pass the buck. No matter how they distort the facts and attempt to control public opinion, the truth remains unchanged: China has played a vital leading role in fighting the epidemic, demonstrated its influence as a responsible major power, and established a positive international image.