The novel coronavirus is a natural pathogen and a common enemy of humanity — not a weapon of any country targeting another. Instead, it is those politicizing the pandemic who are weaponizing the virus as part of the information war they are waging against China.

In a telephone discussion on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg played up "the importance of countering efforts by the People's Republic of China and Russia to spread disinformation and propaganda related to the virus".

Given they both have been trying to portray a threat from such quarters and are predisposed to voicing such allegations against the two countries, it is no surprise — although disappointing — that they should seek to exploit the pandemic in this way. And given their backgrounds, some will no doubt excuse their uncompromising attempt to manipulate people's fears and sufferings.

Others will view their discussion as being what it was, insensitive and offensive. Indulging their need to create threats to justify their own political existence at such a time was callous to say the least. In spreading their own disinformation and propaganda, they not only jeopardized the concerted actions needed to neutralize the threat of the pandemic, but showed that they are quite happy to do so at the cost of people's lives.

But they are not alone in such antics, diehard China-bashers are even trying to politicize the small number of defective masks and test kits among the huge number the country has delivered to other countries as being a sign that the country is deliberately intent on doing harm.

Such claims ignore the Herculean efforts that China is putting in to produce much-needed medical items. Before the pandemic, China accounted for half the world's supply of surgical masks, producing about 20 million masks a day. A month ago, it was producing 180 million masks a day. Now the demand is dozens of times what it was before the outbreak, and the demand for test kits has also soared dramatically. Chinese workers are aware of the responsibility they have on their shoulders, and are working around the clock to make their contributions to the fight against the virus.

Meanwhile, if Pompeo and Stoltenberg want to claim that the pandemic control practices China has explored and shared with all countries and regions, and which constitute the bulk of the World Health Organization recommendations, are disinformation, perhaps they will be forthcoming in offering better ones.

Their remarks are an opportunistic attempt to put more bricks in the wall they are trying to build between the West and its self-imagined enemies. They might view that as being part of their job. But rather than promoting the coordinated efforts to control the pandemic that might actually safeguard people from what is a real and common threat, all they are doing is tilting at windmills.