By helping others, we help ourselves

**Editor's note: **The following article is taken from the Chinese-language opinion column "TheReal Point."

China is expressingappreciation for the support the internationalcommunity offered to its fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, showing a willingness to provide aid within its capacity to other countries affected by the virus to protect global health security. As the saying goes, thefavor of a drop of water shall berewarded with the gratitude of a gushing spring.

Since the outbreak of the virus, leaders of more than 170 countries and over 40 international and regional organizations haveexpressed sympathy with and support for China in its battle against the contagion. People from all walks of life in many countries — some not wealthy themselves — have provided assistance in various forms.

With help from around the world and by its own efforts, China has made notableprogress in containing the spread of the virus. The number of newly confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland, excluding Hubei Province, dropped to single digits for the second consecutive dayon Tuesday.

A Japanese girl wearing a red Chinese cheongsam bows deeply to passersby while holding a donation box to raise money to help those in China affected by the coronavirus, Tokyo, Japan, February 8, 2020. /Xinhua

A joint World Health Organization (WHO)-China mission said after visiting the epicenterof the outbreak that the country's daily number of new cases hadshown a downward trend compared to its peak level, and that China, asthe first line of defense in the fight to prevent the international spread of this virus, had createda window of opportunity for the rest of the world to act. The WHO has also repeatedly expressed concerns over countries with weak health systems.

Virusesknow no boundaries. Over the past few days, COVID-19has been rapidly spreading in other parts of the world, includingJapan, South Korea, Iran, Italy, and some North African countries. China, with more experience in dealing with the outbreak, is also helping those countries by donating breathing apparatuses, facemasks and testingkits as well as providing expertise in establishinglabs for the new coronavirus tests.

Thanks to support of the WHO and China, the number of African countries with a COVID-19 testing capacity has increased from two to 26 in the past three weeks, and it is projected to reach 47 by the end of this month, the African Union has said.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesussaid earlier this week that while a sudden increase in new cases of COVID-19 wasof concern, the spread of the coronavirus wasnot yet a pandemic. But he stressed the need to focus on containment "while doing everything we can to prepare for a potential pandemic."

As world renowned British sociologist Martin Albrowhas said, tackling major public health emergenciessuch as the new coronavirus requires collective wisdom and collaboration,and global crises highlight the importance of building a community of shared future for mankind. Only by looking out for and helping each other, can the world overcome the epidemic and get back on trackat an early date.

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