Essays on China and COVID-19
from the Washington University in St. Louis China Forum.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our intellectual community and the world at large must contend with an unprecedented period of fear and uncertainty. Our in-person dialogue has been put on hold indefinitely; however, we as global citizens must continue this unfinished conversation. Therefore, we invited members of our Washington University in St. Louis community to submit their thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic. Our contestants responded to one of the three prompts covering different aspects of the pandemic in March, 2020. As 2021 has arrived, we find their arguments echoing through the quarantine times.
-Lori Lin, Vice President
WUSTL China Forum
After Coronavirus: Navigating
a New Normal in US-China Relations by Jacob Finke
A global crisis like the novel coronavirus could be an opportunity for international collaboration and increased globalization. Unfortunately, it is also an opportunity for weak leaders to strengthen their legitimacy claims by blaming the “other” for bringing the crisis to their country.
China’s Whistle is Blown.
What’s Next? by Xinyi Qiu
When the Wuhan policemen forced Dr. Li Wenliang, the coronavirus whistleblower, to declare his own warnings as fraudulent, none of them anticipated the public opposition that the action would result in.
Liberty or Safety: Cultural Differences Encountered by a Chinese Student During the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Guowei (Willas) Jia
Kind-hearted people whom I met in the U.S. and in China taught me that for being open-minded and reconciling cultural and ideological differences, the best avenue is to show one’s respect and concern for others through our actions.
With Free Speech Comes Responsibility: Whistleblowing, Censorship, and Expression in the Age of COVID-19
by Wenqing Ge
Only through such thorough investigation can health officials ensure that knowledge of a potential disease is accurate before informing the public, thus avoiding unnecessary public anxiety and enabling locals to respond appropriately.
