Presidents Trump and Xi

By Ademola Adegbamigbe

There is a proverb in this part of Africa, “If one strives not to be put to shame, when shame envelopes one, then one’s sole ambition is to stay alive.” That explains the current position of President Donald Trump of the United States who has accepted China’s offer to help it (US) over Coronavirus.

Right now, the pandemic, like a furious typhoon, has relocated from China to the US, leaving corpses in its wake like a typical  Mongol invasion. With death staring Uncle Sam in the face, the country took a pragmatic decision of leaving sabre rattling aside to accept help.

In a tweet today, Trump said China had been through much and had developed an understanding of the virus. “We are working closely together. Much respect!”

This is in sharp contrast to his braggadocio in the past weeks when he called the scourge “China virus”.

Critics regard Trump as a loose cannon who, when reality stares him in the face, comes down from his high horse.

According to report by Reuters, Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Donald Trump during a phone call on Friday that he would have China’s support in fighting the coronavirus, “as the United States faces the prospect of becoming the next global epicentre of the pandemic.”

The United States now, the report says, has the most coronavirus cases of any country, with 84,946 infections and 1,259 deaths. “Hospitals in cities like New York and New Orleans struggle to cope with the wave of patients.

Xi’s offer of assistance came amid a long-running war of words between Beijing and Washington over various issues including the coronavirus epidemic.” Read more in Reuters