The United States should stop politicising the COVID-19 pandemic and focus on defeating the virus and boosting the economy, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said on Friday.
Lijian made the remarks at a daily news briefing after US Defence Secretary, Mark Esper, reportedly said it is “difficult to believe information from the Communist Party of China” and that “they have been misleading the United States and opaque”.
Lijian said China had taken the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures in an open, transparent and responsible way since the COVID-19 outbreak and had actively promoted international cooperation on controlling the pandemic.
He said: “If the US was misled or lacked sufficient information in the early days, how could the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention issue precautions against the novel coronavirus-related disease on January 15?
“Why did the US announce a decision on January 25 to close its consulate in Wuhan and withdraw all its staff?
“Why did it on February 2 ban the entry of Chinese and other foreign nationals, who had been in China over the last 14 days?”
Smearing China cannot help the US side to cover up facts and shifting blame cannot drive the virus away, Lijian said, noting that the international community could only win the battle against the pandemic through concerted efforts.
“We urge the US side to focus more on defeating the virus and boosting the economy at an early date,” he said.
Xinhua/NAN.
Trending
- Make discipline, hardwork, patriotism your watchwords, Marwa charges NMS Boys
- Why Primate Ayodele is sad about the death of Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi
- Ooni tells daughter at 30 to bring home a man for marriage
- 78 suspected internet fraudster arrested by EFCC in Enugu, Imo
- Three men docked for assaulting a medical doctor in Ogun
- 19-year-old pleads guilty to stealing N1.63m iron rods
- Nine LASU law graduates make list of 13 appointed as high court judges in Lagos
- Ex-First Bank chairman, Afonja dies at 82