Singapore: Say NO to Discrimination and Sinophobia

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, many countries have in different ways expressed their support and assistance to China in fighting the epidemic. However, some media and individuals in a very small number of countries have used unfriendly and even humiliating words and acted in hatred toward China, and some overseas Chinese nationals have faced provocation and discrimination.

On February 1, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered a speech in Chinese at the Spring Festival Dinner in Ang Mo Kio. He addressed the recent bubbling of anti-China or anti-Chinese sentiment, saying that the COVID-19 epidemic is a public health event, not a matter of country or race, and the anti-Chinese sentiment is foolish and illogical. 

He noted that China is doing its best to contain the virus, anti-China is not helpful to the fight against the outbreak, and all countries must work together to defeat the epidemic. In particular, Lee Hsien Loong praised that China has imposed its own travel restrictions, including canceling all outbound tour groups and bringing back Hubei residents from overseas, and what China is doing is responsible. 

Vivian Balakrishnan, foreign minister of Singapore, also said that China has responded to the epidemic with a highly responsible approach and measures rarely seen around the world, sharing information with the international community immediately after the outbreak and providing valuable help to Singapore and other countries in dealing with the epidemic.

Panic and repulsion are worse than the virus. Senior Singaporean officials have publicly expressed their firm confidence in China's victory over the epidemic and extended a helping hand to China. This has reflected the tradition of China and Singapore helping each other in difficult times, and their friendship has been deepened in the battle against the virus. Cooperation between the two countries will certainly get a new expansion after the epidemic.

新加坡：拒絕歧視與仇華

新冠肺炎疫情發生以來，世界上許多國家以不同方式表達對中國抗擊疫情的支持和幫助。但也有極少數國家媒體和個人出現不友善甚至辱華仇華言行，一些身在海外的中國公民和華人遭到挑釁和歧視。

2月1日，新加坡總理李顯龍在新加坡宏茂橋德義區新春晚宴用中文致辭，主動回應歧視與仇華言行，表示新冠肺炎疫情是公共衛生事件，不是國家或種族的問題，排華行為愚昧且不合邏輯。他強調，中國正全力以赴避免疫情擴散，排華情緒對防疫工作無益，各國應與中國齊心協力，共同應對挑戰。李顯龍還特別稱贊道，中國正盡全力、傾全力地控制疫情擴散，包括取消所有出境旅游團，安排專機把那些在海外的湖北人接回國，中國做的是負責任的事情。新加坡外長維文也表示，中方以高度負責任的態度和世所罕見的舉措應對疫情，第一時間同國際社會分享信息，為新加坡等國應對疫情提供了寶貴幫助。

恐慌與排斥比病毒更可怕。新加坡政要高官公開表態對中國戰勝疫情抱有堅定信心，及時向中國伸出援助之手，體現了中新兩國在困難時刻互幫互助的優良傳統，兩國友誼在抗擊疫情的斗爭中得到了深化，兩國合作必將在疫情過后得到新的拓展。