Photo: Xinhua

World leaders pledged 7.4 billion euros ($8.07 billion) for research and development for novel coronavirus vaccines and treatments under a European Commission initiative via a recent online gathering.

Observers are stressing that the world needs global governance now more than ever for an effective global response to the pandemic. But where is the US? Where is the world's only superpower which was supposed to be exercising its leadership in dealing with the pandemic?

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the US has been undermining global solidarity and dampening the efforts of global cooperation in the fight against COVID-19. Instead, the country is busy passing the buck to China, cutting funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), and accusing the WHO of being "China-centric."

It could not be more obvious that current US foreign policy is the culprit of tearing the world apart. This will surely yield disastrous results to the global pandemic prevention and control.

As the first country to see confirmed COVID-19 cases surpass 1 million, a federal government report suggested that the US daily death toll could reach about 3,000 by June 1, according to media reports.

If the US continues its destructive attempts, the result would be miserable not only for its own citizens, but also for the rest of the world.

The US has set a bad example. Some countries followed the US to make self-centered decisions, such as imposing export bans on vital medical kits. Existing global governance configurations such as the WHO are weakened to serve a vital global function as some Western countries have become increasingly suspicious of each other and of international organizations amid the pandemic.

European leaders have warned that if divisions prevail, the virus will become more destructive than Brexit and migration.  

Is that the so-called US leadership? How many countries can afford to pay for the US selfishness at the expense of their own people's lives?

We now come to a make-or-break moment for global governance in the fight against the virus as cross-border cooperation will empower us to control the pandemic whereas buck-passing and the blame game will surely hurt.

The US should stop the buck-passing game as it will suffer the consequences of a paralyzed global response system and damaged global solidarity in the fight against the virus. Only by firmly standing together to confront daunting challenges as a united global community can people be stronger in dealing with global catastrophes and pandemic in the future.