Commentary: Boast about Western democracy's pandemic performance bumptious

BEIJING, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The Western media have recently boasted that Western-style democracy is more successful in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and disparaged China's pandemic response.

Life in the West seems essentially returned to normal, with most pandemic restrictions lifted, including mask-wearing, as essential means of limiting the spread of the virus.

However, under such "normalcy" lies the life-threatening danger of a virus that could once again mutate, spread and kill.

And, when considering the numbers, some of the Western countries have failed miserably in protecting lives and safeguarding health.

For example, despite having leading medical technology and abundant medical resources, the United States has registered the world's largest COVID-19 death toll of more than 1 million.

The root of the tragedy resides in the entrenched flaws in the U.S. political system, under which many scientific issues related to the pandemic have become battlefields of partisan competition.

Since the outbreak's start, U.S. politicians, the media and the public have wasted time, energy and resources debating the merits of mask-wearing despite a mounting infection rate and death toll.

Meanwhile, the wealth and health gaps continue to widen.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hispanics, Native Americans and African Americans are at higher risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19 than Whites.

Compared to the Western countries, China has outperformed the West in protecting lives. Official data showed that China's dynamic zero-COVID policy has kept people alive and healthy, with COVID-19-related deaths and hospitalizations far below the global average.

Furthermore, China has struck a balance between pandemic control and economic development. Although the new round of domestic COVID-19 flare-ups and the volatile international situation have pressured China's development, economic prospects remain strong in the long run.

In the first four months of this year, China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, rose 4 percent year on year, official data showed.

The high-tech manufacturing sector posted a stellar performance in the period, with the value-added output surging 11.5 percent year on year.

Many international institutions remain bullish on China's economy. Last week, the International Monetary Fund announced an increase in the weighting of the Chinese renminbi in the Special Drawing Rights currency basket after completing a quinquennial review.

These facts and figures illustrate a robust Chinese economy and international confidence that China will emerge stronger than ever from its current outbreak.

Rather than criticize China's pandemic and economic management, Western countries ought to reflect on why their fight against COVID-19 went so horribly wrong.