Cross out the bane of 2020

BEIJING, Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on TIME Magazine's cover and the silver lining of the bane of 2020:

On the cover of its Dec.14 issue, TIME Magazine crossed out a bold "2020" with a big red "X", declaring the year to be "the worst year ever."

It's only the fifth time the publication has used a red "X" to cross something out on its cover. The previous four times were to mark the death of Adolf Hitler, the beginning of the Iraq war, and the killings of Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi and Osama bin Laden.

Equating 2020 with war and terrorism shows how awful this year has truly been. Throughout 2020, the COVID-19 virus has ravaged the world, causing economic pressure that has further affected people's daily work and lives. At the same time, social and political tension has also increased. For example, the United States ignored its responsibilities as a major country when dealing with international affairs, blatantly violated multilateralism, and used multiple methods to suppress other countries, making the international environment even worse. In addition, many people suffered from natural disasters all over the world. As the cover author Stephanie Zacharek writes, there have certainly been worse years in world history, but most of us alive today have seen nothing like this one.

The red "X" on the cover of TIME symbolizes the nearing end of the "worst" year, but not the end of the challenges that have emerged. Any pandemic, or fluctuations in trade, the economy and other fields that happen in one country, will affect other countries, and maybe even the whole world. In today's highly globalized world, no country is "an island."

There is an old Chinese saying "Fu Huo Xiang Yi," meaning every cloud has a silver lining. The "worst year" also taught us valuable lessons and experience that will help us better cope with similar challenges in the future. Now, international cooperation in developing a COVID-19 vaccine is well underway; many countries have stepped up economic and trade cooperation and dialogue, and the multilateralism advocated by the United Nations is also being practiced in various fields of the international community.

The experience of this year once again proves that all countries in the world share a common future on this planet. In the face of the pandemic and other major changes, every "villager" in the "global village" should unite and avoid following beggar-thy-neighbor policies. There is reason to believe that this awful year and all its severe challenges will pass quickly, and better days are ahead.

China Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm
Cross out the bane of 2020
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2020-12/17/content_77022909.htm

SOURCE China.org.cn