… says Coronavirus did not originate from China
China has refuted various claims from the United States on the link between China and the Coronavirus, including the claim that the virus originated from China.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an article on Saturday detailing 24 claims which the Asian country has described as untrue.
On people in the US calling the coronavirus the “Chinese virus” or “Wuhan virus”, China said the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines have advised against giving infectious diseases names that associate them with specific countries and regions.
On the origin of the origin of the COVID-19 outbreak, China said although the city first reported the outbreak, Wuhan is not necessarily the origin of the virus.
“The origin of COVID-19 is still unknown. Its source should remain a matter of science and should only be determined by scientists and medical experts based on scientific facts,” China said.
Another false claim that was debunked is that the Coronavirus was created by the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
According to China’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all of the evidence so far has shown that the virus evolved naturally and that it is not man-made.
There have also been claims in the US that COVID-19 was accidentally leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
On this China said: “The P4 laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology is a collaborative project with the French government. It is not capable of designing and producing COVID-19, and there is no evidence that any sort of virus leaked from the lab or that any staff got infected,”
In the US, people have also claimed that China could have contained the outbreak from spreading outside Wuhan, but it let the virus spread to the world by not limiting international flights.
In its response, China said it implemented the most restrictive prevention and control measures in the shortest possible time to prevent major outbreaks in places other than Wuhan.
“The statistics show that only a few imported cases are from China,” the Chinese Ministry OF Foreign Affairs said.
On claims that Chinese people contracted the coronavirus from eating bats, China said bats are never Chinese people’s cooking ingredients.
Below are the other 18 false claims and the respective responses from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
No.1
Lie: China reopened its wildlife market. It should close its “wet market” immediately.
Fact: China does have “wet markets.” China has completely banned the illegal hunting and trading of wild animals.
No.2
Lie: China’s initial cover-up of the outbreak has led to the virus spreading to the world.
Fact: The outbreak was caused by a new type of virus, which required time to fully understand it. China has published the related information in an open, transparent and responsible manner.
No.3
Lie: China arrested “whistleblower” Dr Li Wenliang.
Fact: Dr Li Wenliang is not a “whistleblower,” and he was not arrested.
No.4
Lie: China’s delayed report on human-to-human transmission mislead the United States and the world on how contagious and deadly the virus is, thus causing them to miss the opportunity to take early measures.
Fact: China has been updating the WHO on the severity of the virus. The U.S. should have been crystal clear about how lethal the virus is.
No.5
Lie: China’s data on COVID-19 is not transparent. The real number of confirmed and deceased COVID-19 cases is at least 50 times more than reported.
Fact: China’s released data is completely transparent and can stand the test of time.
No.6
Lie: Wuhan’s revision of the number of COVID-19 cases and fatalities proves that China covered up the actual number of infected patients during the initial stage of the outbreak.
Fact: Data revision is a common international practice, which actually approves China is open, transparent and responsible in reporting the data.
No.7
Lie: China spreads disinformation about the outbreak.
Fact: China publishes COVID-19 data in an open and transparent way. But some U.S. politicians and anti-China scholars have smeared China. China is a victim of disinformation.
No.8
Lie: China’s political system is the root of the problem.
Fact: The virus doesn’t distinguish ideology or social systems. The Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have played a decisive and crucial role in leading the Chinese people to prevail against the epidemic. China’s political system has effectively organized and mobilized 1.4 billion people in China’s vast territory of 9.6 million square kilometers to overcome the difficulties faced by developing countries. It unites all forces, pools all resources and provides a strong political guarantee to overcome the epidemic. It has been proven that the social system and development path chosen by the Chinese people fit China’s domestic situation, and the Communist Party of China has won firm and broad support from Chinese people. China also has no intention of exporting its political system.
No.9
Lie: China expelled U.S. journalists to cover up the outbreak.
Fact: China’s expulsion of the U.S. journalists is a reciprocal countermeasure against the U.S. for its long-term suppression of Chinese media agencies in the U.S., especially the recent expulsion of 60 Chinese journalists. China releases information in a timely manner in an open, transparent and responsible manner.
No.10
Lie: China controls the WHO and uses money to woo the organization.
Fact: China firmly supports multilateralism. China has maintained good communication and cooperation with the WHO, but China has never manipulated the WHO. Notably, it is the U.S., the largest source of funding for the WHO, that has suspended funding of the international body, a move that was unanimously opposed by the international community.
No.11
Lie: Taiwan issued a warning to the WHO about the human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus pneumonia from as early as December 31, 2019, but it was not taken seriously.
Fact: China’s Taiwan region was not issuing a warning to the WHO, but seeking additional information from the WHO after the Wuhan Health Commission filed a report on COVID-19.
No.12
Lie: China prevented Taiwan from joining the WHO and endangered the health of Taiwanese.
Fact: The truth is, Taiwan, as a part of China, has no right to participate in the WHO that only sovereign states can join. The channels of technical cooperation between China’s Taiwan and the WHO are always open.
No.13
Lie: China should be held responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. China should be investigated and sued for compensation.
Fact: There is no legal basis for holding China responsible for the pandemic and asking for compensation. Such claims are just tricks some American politicians use to shift blame for their own political gain.
No.14
Lie: China has hoarded protective medical resources, taking advantage of the pandemic to yield huge profits. It tightened the export of virus containment resources and equipment and limited exports, especially ventilators, which led to the U.S. not having sufficient stocks.
Fact: Although China’s own virus containment is arduous, China is still doing its best to provide anti-COVID-19 medical supplies to other countries.
No.15
Lie: China’s assistance is “political generosity.”
Fact: China’s foreign aid for fighting against the pandemic is sent to countries that supported China during the early phase of the outbreak. It is also based on the concept of a community of shared human destiny.
No.16
Lie: China is interfering in the U.S. election, trying to prevent U.S. President Donald Trump from being re-elected.
Fact: China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. “Attacking China” is just a smear tactic that some U.S. politicians are attempting to use as their campaign strategy.
No.17
Lie: China recently required that enterprises that export masks, test kits, ventilators and other materials must provide customs with declaration forms, which can be seen as an attempt to ban the export of anti-COVID-19 medical supplies.
Fact: The Chinese approach aims to strengthen quality control.
No.17
Lie: China’s Guangdong Province discriminated against African nationals.
Fact: China’s prevention and control measures never discriminate between Chinese and foreign nationals. It adopts a zero-tolerance attitude toward discriminatory words and deeds.
