I first went to Wuhan in 1938, when my family and I moved there seeking safety from the ongoing war with Japan. At the time, the population of the city was about two million.

One of my most striking memories of our time there was the sight of a train full of wounded Chinese soldiers crying out for help.

My mother gave the soldiers the food she had prepared for us. Now, 80 years later, Wuhan is facing a crisis of a different sort, and its impact is being felt worldwide. 

Little more than two weeks ago, the No 1 news story about China concerned the signing of the "phase one" trade deal that halted the ongoing trade war with the United States.

While leaders in both countries had hoped to take a victory lap after the signing, the rapid spread of the coronavirus ended any such aspirations.

While the 18-month-long trade war had demonstrated to many the interconnectedness of the American and Chinese economies, the coronavirus has in a fraction of that time been a much clearer teacher.

While the business ramifications are likely to be serious, although may not be felt for months, the personal ties between the US and China have also been laid bare by the virus.

The coronavirus outbreak became a priority issue between the two countries after the Chinese government made key announcements about the virus on January 19.

It is illustrative of the ties between the two countries that the first confirmed US case of the virus was announced on January 21.

The US resident had flown to Seattle from Wuhan. His story would be echoed by subsequent US infected patients — 11 confirmed so far and dozens more under investigation — who contracted the virus after recent travel in China. Only one of those is a human-to-human transmission.

Other US citizens in Wuhan, who were probably there to visit family during the Chinese New Year, were trapped after the lockdown, with some returning on board a chartered flight carrying evacuating US diplomatic personnel.

As the trade war wore on, it may have been easy for Americans not involved in the agriculture or the affected industries to dismiss the implications of the US-China relationship.

Now, with the potential damage being done to Americans' health instead of just their wallets, the ties between the two countries are not as easily dismissed.

As more information about the virus - and greater paranoia - spreads, so too does recognition of just how often Americans interact with Chinese in everyday life.

Chinese English-language students are enrolled in schools around the country. Over 300,000 Chinese students study in American universities, many probably just returning for the beginning of the spring semester.

The Chinese government has halted outbound tour groups. Sporting events, including collegiate basketball and Olympic qualifiers, have been cancelled or postponed as a result of the virus. Twenty US airports receiving passengers from China are now conducting health screenings.

The sheer amount of ongoing travel between the two countries is staggering, and shows that any prolonged animosity between them can have deep impacts domestically.

Another aspect of the US-China relationship unmasked by the virus outbreak is the degree to which mutual mistrust, cultural misunderstandings and xenophobia stand in the away of more stable and positive relations between the two.

Conspiracy theories, which have been debunked, have been doing the rounds in China and the US that the virus is really a biological weapon created by the other's military.

That the virus originated in a "wet market" has led to criticism of Chinese culture and eating habits - including a video of a woman eating a bat going viral, despite it not actually being filmed in China.

Critics of American engagement and globalisation are using the virus as just another justification to call for closing borders and stopping immigration.

These problems are not unique to the circumstances created by the novel coronavirus; they are deeply rooted in the US-China relationship and have complicated diplomacy and engagement between the countries for decades.

The virus outbreak shows the potential for a non-state actor to derail the set trajectory of US-China diplomacy.

Just weeks ago, China agreed to purchase additional American agricultural and other products worth US$200 million. Given the substantial toll the virus will inflict on the Chinese economy, it is doubtful now that Beijing will be able to live up to such goals.

Beyond this, the US and China should realise through this virus outbreak the necessity for collaboration and cooperation between their governments during crises.

In times such as these, the national security interests of both countries are markedly similar - to protect the health of their citizens and prevent the further spread of the virus.

Unlike nearly every other component of the US-China relationship today, this goal in not mutually exclusive.

When this outbreak fades away, I hope that the leaders of both countries learn from it, because the lessons will be needed to deal with the next non-state threat that will inevitably appear.

I hope also that Americans gain a greater appreciation for just how connected they are with China. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Chi Wang, a former head of the Chinese section of the US Library of Congress, is president of the US-China Policy Foundation.