With COVID-19 taking a heavy toll in Europe and the United States, US politicians should stop politicizing the disease and stigmatizing China. Only joint action and cooperation can ensure victory in the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

As the number of infections has shot up in the US, some US politicians have sought to smear China in an attempt to shift responsibility and cover up their own delayed and inefficient response to the spread of the virus at home.

US President Donald Trump even added his voice to the chorus seeking to link the virus with China as a means to stigmatize the country.

However, with the heads of the United Nations and World Health Organization among those explicitly opposing attempts to associate the virus with China, it seems that the US leader has seen the error of his ways on this matter, on Tuesday he stopped calling the novel coronavirus the "Chinese virus" as he had been doing.

This is a positive step in the right direction and will help ease the tensions that have risen between the two countries over the virus and their mutual restrictions on media outlets.

But it seems that others in the administration are yet to see the light. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has become something of a one-trick pony with his incessant allegations against China, indulged in his usual flimflammery on Tuesday, accusing China of withholding information about the outbreak.

Since China has been sharing information about the novel coronavirus outbreak with other countries, including the US, as well as the World Health Organization, since Jan 3, his claim is sheer fabrication.

The mess in the US is of the administration's own doing as it completely wasted the precious time China bought for the world as well as the sacrifices the Chinese people have made to contain the disease.

Instead of trying to drag China into a war of words, US politicians should concentrate on the global fight against the virus as the health and well-being of people across the world hinges on both effective actions by individual countries, and the international community's spirit of cooperation.

As the country now has a grip on domestic transmission, China is stepping up efforts to help other countries by sharing its experience and shipping anti-virus supplies.

So instead of trying to shirk its responsibilities and divert the American public's attention from its own failures to protect people's lives and wellbeing, the US administration should make greater efforts to get its own house in order and seek to play a more constructive role in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic by strengthening cooperation with China and other countries. The virus is a common foe.

China and the US shoulder a shared responsibility to set an example for the world. This is no time for bickering.