Photo: Xinhua

Pakistani President Arif Alvi arrived on Monday in China for a two-day official visit. Prior to his trip, he had more than once praised China's great efforts against the coronavirus, applauded China's role as a model for the international community, and said Pakistan stands with China.

Although the outcomes of Alvi's visit have not yet been released, for the Chinese, Pakistan's support for and trust in China, conveyed through the president's trip amid the global pandemic, are enough.

In contrast to the solidarity between Pakistan and China, if we cast our eyes on the South Asian country's neighbor, India, quite a different scene can be seen: Misinformation and anti-China remarks are spreading within India as a virus. Some among the rumormongers are even high-ranking officials.

Manish Tewari, a member of the Indian National Congress and former minister of Information and Broadcasting, suggested in several of his tweets that the coronavirus was a "biological weapon developed by the Chinese" since February. His acts are nothing less than that of some ill-disposed Western politicians.

Fake news, such as the Chinese government "killing" people to stop the virus, have also gone viral in India. China has repeatedly stated that the origin of the virus has not yet been determined. And China's efficient and effective steps to fight against the virus in the past two months are obvious to the whole world. Some people in India, however, turned a blind eye to these iron-clad facts. Their attempts to utilize the outbreak to throw mud at China are apparently incorrect and immoral.

The virus does not respect borders. In the continent of Asia, which holds various countries and encompasses an enormous population, the deadly virus is very likely to wreak havoc without proper containment measures. Hence, in the current stage, what Asian nations need most is solidarity and cooperation, while accusing and blaming each other is the least productive move.

China and Pakistan are setting an example. As one of first countries that provided medical protective assistance to China, Pakistan donated to China all of its inventory masks in hospitals nationwide. As Pakistan struggles to fight the coronavirus epidemic and the locust plague at the same time, China has provided the country with timely help since February. On March 9, China offered much-needed supplies weighing 69.91 tons, including 14 sets of pest control equipment, 250 barrels of pesticides, and 14,000 coronavirus test kits.

Indian media reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called on all members to jointly cope with the pandemic in a video conference with other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation state leaders on Sunday. It is sincerely hoped that the government and people of India could truly put Modi's words into practice - not only within South Asia, but also in their dealings with China - and stop discrediting China. 

As the two most populous countries as well as two major emerging economies, China and India should go hand in hand in the global fight against the virus and play their due roles as world powers.