Beijing strongly condemned US President Donald Trump’s latest habit to call the coronavirus a “Chinese virus” and urged everyone to follow the science instead.
At the same time, China has stepped up efforts to send equipment and experts to Europe, now the epicentre of the pandemic, in what AFP described as ‘mask diplomacy’. Despite growing criticism, Trump repeated on 18 March that the coronavirus is a “Chinese virus” saying it was not racist at all.
“It comes from China, that’s why,” the US president said. “Stigma directed at a certain country should be rejected,” a spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the EU told EURACTIV.com. “The WHO named the virus as COVID-19 in order not to link the virus with a certain country or territory. Opinions of specialists should be fully respected,” the Chinese diplomat added.
The relations between the two countries have escalated recently, after Chinese foreign affairs spokesperson Lijian Zhao claimed that the US army might have brought the epidemic to China’s Wuhan region.
“When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! The US owes us an explanation!” he said.
China rejects US ‘stigma’ over coronavirus, winks at EU – EURACTIV.com
At the same time, China has stepped up efforts to send equipment and experts to Europe, now the epicentre of the pandemic, in what AFP described as ‘mask diplomacy’. Despite growing criticism, Trump repeated on 18 March that the coronavirus is a “Chinese virus” saying it was not racist at all.
“It comes from China, that’s why,” the US president said. “Stigma directed at a certain country should be rejected,” a spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the EU told EURACTIV.com. “The WHO named the virus as COVID-19 in order not to link the virus with a certain country or territory. Opinions of specialists should be fully respected,” the Chinese diplomat added.
The relations between the two countries have escalated recently, after Chinese foreign affairs spokesperson Lijian Zhao claimed that the US army might have brought the epidemic to China’s Wuhan region.
“When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! The US owes us an explanation!” he said.
China rejects US ‘stigma’ over coronavirus, winks at EU – EURACTIV.com
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