The volatile state of U.S.-China relations has only hindered progress towards ending the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s little question that if the two countries were to join forces, a safer world would be within reach.

China is standing up for poor countries in the global fight against the pandemic as the West turns away. Its role is essential if humanity wants to win. Disparaging Chinese vaccines will only prolong the agony and suffering of people in need.

China’s lack of environmental regulations has been fingered as a culprit in accelerating the climate crisis, but by digging into the nation’s opaque legal process, changes have been made quietly and consistently towards accountability in pollution and waste.

If the United States is going to complain about China’s transparency and handling of WHO experts, it should be willing to open its own biolabs around the world to scrutiny. Solving this mystery is an urgent task for all mankind.

As China-U.S. relations deteriorate, communication and cooperation on energy and environmental issues have ground to a halt. Yet climate cooperation between the two largest polluters during the Paris climate conference in 2015 provides some lessons to be learned.

As the United States prepares for a radical course-correction on climate change, China is raising its game. Climate action has become yet another front in the competition between the world’s two largest economies. Who will cross the net-zero-emissions finish line first?

China’s pledge in September to pursue carbon neutrality by 2060 was followed by a similar pledge from Japan a month later. With these commitments being made at a time when the US has withdrawn from the Paris climate accord, it is easy to interpret them as part of the ongoing geopolitical competition for global leadership. But managing climate change is not a zero-sum game. Here, national competition to strengthen ambitions and policies benefits everyone.

Millions of people around the world are facing significant adversity. Governments must provide adequate financial and social protection, so that the poor and marginalized do not feel they must choose between protecting their health and providing for their families. And they must address the deeper social inequalities that the pandemic has exacerbated.

While the Western media criticize the country’s efforts and spread doubt about its motives, it is actually focusing on what matters — saving lives. While others race to be first, China is striving to be safe and effective.

In his video address to the United Nations General Assembly in September, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a slight improvement of China’s 2015 Paris climate agreement pledge: national carbon dioxide emissions should now peak before 2030 rather than around 2030.