Xinhua News Agency dismissed claims that the novel coronavirus originated in China, slamming this as an “absurd argument that smears the Chinese people”.
The Communist Party's mouthpiece published an article today saying that the claim was like “a political virus” runs against the urgent need of international collaboration in the face of the relentless epidemic.
“The epidemic was first reported in China but that does not mean it necessarily originated in China, specialists have explained,” Xinhua said, “The World Health Organization (WHO) has said many times that COVID-19 is a global phenomenon with its source still undetermined.”
The article also reiterated that the name “Covid-19” marked no connections between the virus and certain places or countries, and all countries – including China – were victims of the virus.
“Viruses know no borders. To protect the health and safety of the people across the world, the Chinese people have made huge sacrifices and major contributions,” Xinhua said.
The commentary said China has taken the “utmost” effort in combating the epidemic, and cited Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization (WHO) chief, that China's containment of the outbreak has bought time for the rest of the world to do the same.
The novel coronavirus outbreak, first found in Wuhan city of the Hubei province last year, has now swept over 91 countries, with more than 100,000 infected cases across the globe. Health authorities in China have reported more than 3,000 death cases. Medicals in Wuhan who had attempted to warn people against the new virus, however, were punished by the authorities.
