林民旺：見中國抗疫成功，印度評論酸成“檸檬精”

【文/觀察者網專欄作者 林民旺】

印度疫情的快速增長形勢似乎被控制住了。儘管每日新增的新冠患者確診數仍相當大，但相對於印度這樣體量的人口大國來説，這樣的成績和效果，已屬相當不易。

印度對疫情的管控舉措，受到了世界衞生組織的表揚。與此同時，印度也受到外國媒體的各種指摘和責難，從印度確診數和死亡數的數據不可信，到印度封城導致上百萬日薪工人的生活困境，以及印度政府由於疫情而對特定少數羣體（穆斯林）的仇恨式宣傳。當然，印度並沒有對這些指責保持沉默，而是對這些批評進行了反擊。

然而，一些印度評論家卻似乎奉行“雙重標準”，對中國的抗疫行動及舉措，提出了不少在中國人看來相當嚴厲的批評。

1月23日，中國武漢因新冠疫情而採取嚴厲的封城舉措。普通中國人，對這種“突如其來”的新型病毒毫無準備，既有莫名的恐懼情緒，也有對突然被要求居家隔離感到相當不適。在中國疫情最嚴重的時候，每天醒來，我最關心的就是新增確診患者數是多少。

當時，印度立即採取了撤僑、禁止口罩出口等舉措。雖然，從情理上説都能夠理解印度的做法，但是卻對此做法卻並無太多好感，尤其是看到印度評論家對中國的抗疫舉措進行“冷嘲熱諷”的評論。

幸運的是，中國的嚴厲舉措很快就見成效了。中國媒體自然就開始報道抗疫的成功和採取的舉措。一個14億人口的大國，它的媒體首先需要面對的是國內的讀者，需要化解的是普通民眾由於居家隔離而產生的不滿情緒，再加上中國仍然需要民眾配合以控制好疫情，以實現儘快地恢復生產和生活。但是，在印度的評論裏，我所看到的是，大部分人似乎認為這是中國政府要凸顯中國體制的優越性，甚至稱中國是進行制度模式的輸出。

我相信，中國肯定沒有這樣的動機和意圖。1979年印度外長瓦傑帕伊訪問北京時，鄧小平告訴他，中國沒有興趣進行政治制度輸出。同樣，在當下抗擊疫情的關鍵時刻，中國更不可能有制度輸出的動機和意圖了。

中國一直強調中國的制度是“有中國特色”，意思是它符合中國的國情和現實。正如習近平主席經常説的，“鞋子合不合腳,自己穿了才知道”，“一個國家的發展道路合不合適，只有這個國家的人民才最有發言權”。然而，西方民主國家卻動不動就否定中國政治制度的現實合理性。

在美國特朗普政府大力“甩鍋”中國和將責任推卸給世界衞生組織的時候，印度國內同樣充斥着一大堆“中國（武漢）病毒論”、“中國擴散論”、“世界衞生組織過錯論”、“中國藉機擴張論”的污名化言論。為此，中國駐印度大使館不得不多次發表聲明，向印度輿論界闡釋基本事實。

我不想花費筆墨進行這方面的詳細爭論。我的理解是，作為一個學者和評論家，只要保持你對信息獲取的開放性，特別是多聽聽專業人士的解釋，而不是完全依賴政治家們的言論，那麼得出的見解肯定會更接近事實。畢竟新冠肺炎病毒是一種新型的病毒，關於這一疫情的產生、發展和控制的理解，都需要相應的醫學知識作為支撐。

我感到最為遺憾的是，不少印度評論家進行了隨意評論和妄下結論。在我看來，這就不是無意圖的行為，相反是某種偏見在作怪。

一些評論認為，中國給很多國家提供或者贈送醫療產品，是有地緣政治的企圖。這顯然是誇張了。印度也採購了中國的口罩、防護服、呼吸機、檢測試劑盒等醫療設備。馬雲和阿里巴巴公益基金會向印度提供了大量防護物資。這些舉動是否都有地緣政治企圖呢？按照這些人的邏輯，印度也給南亞和中東國家提供了不少抗疫援助，背後有沒有地緣政治企圖呢？

中國有生產醫療用品的強大能力，而且中國和塞爾維亞、意大利、伊朗等國本身就有非常良好的關係。如果它們需要幫助的時候，中國有能力提供幫助卻選擇袖手旁觀，那就真是缺乏基本的人性和同情心了。

塞爾維亞當地民眾在一場主題為“塞爾維亞人民永遠和中國兄弟在一起”的音樂會上，手持中國國旗表示對中國的支持。（圖/新華社）

國際政治的虛偽性是顯而易見的，中國對一些醫療能力較弱的國家提供幫助，被看作是地緣政治企圖。那如果中國和很多國家一樣，採取禁止出口醫療產品和藥物的做法，那肯定又會被批評將生產能力“武器化”吧？

值得欣慰的是，印度政府大體還是秉持着理性與剋制。只是其部分措施也很令人困惑。

印度輿論對華不夠友善的聲音太多，對於我這樣一直關注中印關係的人來説，毫不奇怪。只是，最近大量的消極聲音，實在是讓人感覺甚為遺憾。2020年4月1日是中印建交70週年，中印關係顯然更有理由站在新的起點上發展。

當然，就目前的情勢而言，中印兩國的重中之重都是先管控好疫情，逐步恢復生產生活，這才是最重要的，相似的國情天然地促使兩國在這方面有巨大的合作空間。雙方應該進行更多具有實質性的抗疫合作。

（本文英文原文首發於《南華早報》，標題“Vitriol in Indian media can only poison relations with China, at a time when cooperation is needed in coronavirus fight”。作者授權觀察者網發佈中文版，翻頁查看英文版）

Vitriol in Indian media can only poison relations with China, at a time when cooperation is needed in coronavirus fight

The Covid-19 outbreak in India appears to be under control. Although the number of confirmed cases is still increasing, India’s record in battling the pandemic has been quite a success, considering the size of its population.

The World Health Organisation has praised India’s lockdown measures at an early stage. Nevertheless, the government is facing a storm of media criticism, including accusations of unreliable data on infection numbers and the death toll, and on the measures’ adverse impact on daily-wage workers. The harshest criticism has been aimed at New Delhi’s handling of the hate propaganda against minority groups, specifically Muslims.

Many Indian observers even go so far as to blame China for the outbreak of Covid-19 and criticise the Chinese government’s lack of transparency.

The average Chinese finds such criticism difficult to accept. When Beijing imposed a lockdown on Wuhan with little notice on January 23, tens of millions of people were forced to stay at home in an unprecedented living arrangement. Caught unprepared, we experienced fear and discomfort. During the worst time, the first thing I did when I awoke every day was to check the number of new cases.

At that time, India quickly took steps to evacuate its nationals in China and later banned the export of certain masks. Many Chinese, in all fairness, understood the need for such measures, even if they did not like them, especially after reading comments in the Indian media sneering at China’s fight against Covid-19.

Fortunately, China’s stringent measures paid off, and the Chinese media naturally began to report on their success. China is a large country with a population of over 1.4 billion, so its media needed to console and encourage the domestic audience by telling a great story. After all, many people had been through weeks of gruelling social isolation, and the government still needed their cooperation to contain the virus.

However, some Indian commentators believed these media stories amounted to the Chinese government trying to showcase the superiority of the Chinese political system and even trying to export such a system.

I believe the Chinese government has no such intentions. When then Indian foreign minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Beijing in 1979, Deng Xiaoping made it clear to him that China was not interested in exporting its political system.

Now at a critical moment in the fight against Covid-19, there is no incentive for the Chinese government to try to export its political system. Beijing has always emphasised the “Chinese characteristics” of its political system, meaning that it grows from China’s historical and political legacies. As President Xi Jinping has often said, “whether a pair of shoes fit, only the wearer knows”, and that it is the people of a country who are best placed to judge the path of development they have chosen for themselves.

Democratic countries in the West do not respect China’s political system and try their best to undermine it. It is regrettable that the Trump administration has tried hard to blame China for Covid-19 and shirked its responsibility to the World Health Organisation.

In India, the media is promoting conspiracy theories highlighting China’s so-called geopolitical expansion. The Chinese embassy in India has had to issue many statements clarifying the basic facts.

In these times, one way to distinguish truth from falsehood is to keep one’s access to information open and listen to experts’ views, rather than rely solely on politicians’ statements. In the case of the novel coronavirus, medical opinions about its origin, development and spread are important.

Regrettably, the random comments and arbitrary conclusions of some Indian observers rely less on fact and more on prejudice. Some have criticised China for playing a geopolitical game by offering medical products to many countries. This is obviously an exaggeration.

India has bought medical equipment such as masks, ventilators and test kits from some Chinese companies, while other Chinese companies, including Alibaba, have donated supplies to India. Are there geopolitical motives behind these moves? India has also provided assistance to its neighbouring countries. By the same logic, is India also playing a geopolitical game?

China has a great capacity to produce medical equipment, and very sound bilateral relations with Serbia, Italy, Iran and other countries. Should China stand by while its friends need help, risking a humanitarian disaster?

Hypocrisy is rampant in international politics. China’s assistance to some countries is viewed as a cynical move. But if China bans the export of medical products and drugs, as some other countries have, it would certainly be criticised for weaponising its manufacturing capacity.

The silver lining in all this is that Indian government officials have so far mostly kept their reason and acted with restraint.

Indian public opinion is not friendly to China in general. For people like me, who have been following Sino-Indian relations closely for many years, this is not new. However, I am really surprised by the cacophony of insinuation, blame and criticism that has been directed at China since the outbreak.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. So, there is more reason for both sides to strengthen and reaffirm their relationship.

As far as the current situation is concerned, the top priority for both countries is to control the pandemic and gradually resume normal production and life. Similar conditions in both countries mean they have a lot of room to cooperate more closely and fight Covid-19 together.

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