Masks Also Opposite... No (NO) Trump VS Yes (YES) Xi Jinping

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Correspondent Park Sun-mi] While the United States and China, both severely affected by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), are bickering over responsibility for the spread of COVID-19, the contrasting mask-wearing attitudes of the two countries' top leaders captured on camera have drawn attention.

President Donald Trump continues his 'No' mask stance. On the 14th (local time), President Trump appeared without a mask during a visit to the distribution center of the medical equipment supplier 'Owens & Minor' in Pennsylvania. Owens & Minor supplies millions of N95 masks and medical gloves to various regions across the United States, but during the site tour and speech, President Trump did not wear a mask.

Photos from President Trump's visit show Owens & Minor employees and Trump administration officials all wearing masks, but President Trump alone was without a mask. Media outlets worldwide ran related articles with headlines such as 'Maskless Trump visits Pennsylvania mask distribution center' and 'Trump rejects masks.'

President Trump is well known for not wearing a mask even amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He also refused to wear a mask during his visit to a Honeywell factory on the 5th and at the White House Rose Garden press conference on the 11th, after the White House issued a mask-wearing mandate. On the 3rd of last month, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended voluntary mask-wearing, he stated that he would not wear one himself. At that time, he said, "Mask-wearing is a voluntary public health measure. I don't think I will do it."

U.S. media analyzed that President Trump's stubborn refusal to wear a mask strongly reflects a political purpose to demonstrate confidence in the success of COVID-19 prevention and the resumption of economic activities.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the other hand, Chinese President Xi Jinping's mask-wearing remains ongoing.

Although the COVID-19 spread has somewhat entered a calming phase, he still orders "thorough prevention" and wears a mask when conducting local inspections or visiting medical institutions since the outbreak. Chinese state media such as People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, and China Central Television (CCTV) openly show photos of President Xi wearing a mask on site. The front page top news of People's Daily has even been filled with photos of President Xi wearing a mask.

The most recent public appearance of President Xi wearing a mask was during his inspection of Shanxi Province on the 11th and 12th. On the 12th, he visited a stainless steel manufacturing company in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, wearing a blue medical mask while checking the status of resumed operations. Government officials accompanying him also wore masks, and all company employees present were masked as well.

President Xi also wore a mask when visiting a factory in Ankang City, Shaanxi Province, on the 21st of last month to inspect the production line. He also entered a fifth-grade classroom in Ankang City wearing a mask to observe students' lessons amid COVID-19.

However, President Xi has recently been frequently seen removing his mask in outdoor spaces. This is interpreted as an attempt to convey the message that China is well controlling COVID-19 and that social and economic development normalization is underway post-COVID-19.

On the 11th, during his visit to the organic sulfur standardized cultivation base in Yuzhou District, Datong City, Shanxi Province, and Fangcheng New Village to check the achievements of poverty alleviation policies, President Xi removed his mask. In photos showing him waving to people without a mask, all accompanying officials and residents were also without masks. He also did not wear a mask when visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site Yungang Grottoes. On March 30th, during an inspection of a rural village in Anji County, Zhejiang Province, he and his entourage appeared without masks, presenting a peaceful scene similar to before the COVID-19 outbreak.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

President Xi, while ordering the resumption of operations and normalization of economic and social activities as the COVID-19 situation somewhat calms, emphasizes that the grip on COVID-19 prevention must not be loosened.

On the 14th, he convened the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China in Beijing and said, "Currently, the nationwide prevention and control situation is generally good, but the situation outside the country is severe and complex, and the task of preventing domestic resurgence remains heavy." He added, "We must never relax. Measures to prevent imported cases and internal spread must be well implemented so that the hard-won achievements in prevention and control are not wasted." He also instructed to "strengthen tailored prevention and control measures" for the Northeast Three Provinces region, where recent cluster infections have been reported.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.