The Chinese government's efforts to combat the novel coronavirus epidemic and prevent its spread have been widely recognized by the public and the international community.

The actions of the Chinese government are dependent on China’s institutional advantages, and reflect the essential requirements of the political nature of the Communist Party of China (CPC): safeguarding the interests of the people is the foundation of the CPC and the country.

The advantages of the Chinese system have once again been demonstrated since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

China has shut down an entire metropolis populated by over 10 million people for the health of its citizens. It has required companies and schools to postpone production and re-opening, and concentrated all its resources into building makeshift hospitals in the epicenter Wuhan.

As the world's second largest economy and the largest manufacturing country, China has suffered huge losses brought by the epidemic.

For a long time, the Chinese people have been accustomed to the government's efficient coordination and rapid action in the face of major disasters. For them, it’s natural.

Only after living abroad for a few years can we understand the difficulties facing the country and appreciate the extreme challenge the Chinese government faces in administering the country.

For any other country, the epidemic would appear to be catastrophic, as it took place in China, a country with such a large population, and before the Chinese New Year, a time which sees the largest human migration in the world.

China's battle against the epidemic showed that the CPC, as China’s ruling party, is by far the political party with the strongest governance capability in human history that truly cares about the national interests of the country and the Chinese people.

If the epidemic happened in the United States, such as Chicago, would the country close down severely affected areas? Would the government mobilize resources to quickly build two major hospitals for the city? Would the government ask people to postpone their work?

Don't even think about it!

If Chicago closed down, it is very likely that the US stock market would collapse the next day, leading to a global financial and economic crisis. The US Supreme Court's lifting of restrictions on the amount of political contributions has legalized money politics in the US, and Washington will never allow the interests of interest groups to be harmed.

When forest fires raged in Australia and California, the governments of the two countries left thousands of homes to burn and residents displaced, and did not even employ extra resources to extinguish the fire.

Seeing this, we should realize that government assistance is not universal, and "human rights" can be easily neglected for various reasons at this critical time.

We should also be vigilant against anti-China forces in Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as foreign countries, which have fanned hostility between the Chinese government and the people in any way that they can.

In the face of the epidemic, intellectuals should stay rational and confident, so that the people can remain calm amid the panic and see a ray of hope in the darkness. While there is no remedy, confidence will build the first line of defense for us to conquer the epidemic.

Trust in the CPC and the Chinese government is the most important source of confidence for Chinese people. The key is that they deserve people’s trust.

(Dong Yuzhen is a scholar living in Singapore and Director of South Ocean Publishing House.)