Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US surpassed 2 million on Wednesday night (US time), and more than 112,000 people have died from the coronavirus. 

US officials did not issue a statement about the tragic number that day, and they certainly did not apologize. 

US officials were busy doing something else on Wednesday. The US State Department released the 2019 International Religious Freedom Report, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attacked China. He was criticized because he had remained silent on George Floyd's death, and he finally talked about it at Wednesday's press conference. 

However, he combined the issue with his attacks against China, bragging that "our nation is so special! It's the greatest nation in the history of civilization."

By saying the US is "special," Pompeo explained that the US respects "every human being." Is this how the US respects the rights of the over 2 million infected people and some 112,000 people who died from COVID-19?

The US stock market has rebounded but the trend of the epidemic situation remains unclear. Has anyone seen US leaders warn people to focus more on controlling the epidemic? Everyone can see their joy about the stock market rebound and the rising employment rate, as if everything will be OK as long as the economy recovers. 

The US government appears to have forgotten about the epidemic and is encouraging Americans to forget about it as well.

People have heard too much bragging about the so-called achievements from the US government - the 2 million confirmed cases are because of the US' testing capacity; the US death toll is going to be "far below" 1 million to 2 million. 

Top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci predicted in March that COVID-19 could kill 100,000 to 200,000 Americans. That prediction has already been reached and may eventually be broken.

The rise of the stock market is a good thing, but can US political elite share a little sympathy with the vulnerable groups who are still being infected and may die? Chinese people, as distant observers, have finally seen the true face of capitalism.

The US has the ability to endure COVID-19, but this comes more from capital and high-ranking officials' control of society. Ordinary Americans either become poorer or risk being infected by having to go back to work. 

China is dealing with the barbaric and greedy capitalism that doesn't care about humanitarianism. US politicians have fooled ordinary American people and promoted social Darwinism. Thus, they are more carefree about lying about China and inciting extreme emotions. Once US politicians believes it is beneficial to stir trouble with China, whether for domestic or international reasons, they will unscrupulously trample on the rules the way Pompeo does.

China believes the number of less than 100,000 of confirmed cases in China is serious enough, and China has exerted all its strength to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 

The US, however, is indifferent to the 2 million infected cases and is forcing people to adapt to the infection rate. The two countries have huge differences in values and find it difficult to communicate with each other, especially when the US is aggressively passing the buck to China and is launching a publicity offensive.

But the COVID-19 data from China and the US are much too different. Time continues to widen such differences and will make people think. The ideological fortifications built by Pompeo and his likes will finally collapse.