Skip to main content

China tells US to mind own business, concentrate on fighting COVID-19

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

China has urged the United States (US) to mind its own business and concentrate more on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, made these remarks after the US Defense Secretary, Mark Esper, had accused China, during a recent interview, regarding lacking transparency on COVID-19 and misleading the world from the beginning of the outbreak. 

"If the US has been misled or not given enough information in the early stages of the pandemic, why did the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issue warnings on January 15?" Zhao questioned at the daily news briefing in Beijing. 

"Why did the US announce the closure of its consulate general in Wuhan on Jan 25 and evacuate its personnel? And why did the US shut its borders to all Chinese nationals and foreigners that had been to China in the past 14 days on Feb 2?" he asked further.

“Smear and stigmatization will not cover the facts and shifting blame will not kill the virus, while cooperation and solidarity is the only way to defeat the pandemic,” Zhao stated. 

“China urges the US to mind its own business and focus more on defeating the virus and reviving its economy,” he advised. 

Also on April 17, when responding to criticism and doubts from leaders of France and the United Kingdom in terms of China's dealing with the virus, Zhao had clarified that it’s not helpful to judge different political systems at present.

“The urgent task for all countries is to show solidarity to defeat the pandemic and save lives,” he added. 

“After the outbreak of the virus, the leaders of China and France have held three telephone conversations to express mutual support,” Zhao said. 

“The leaders and foreign ministers from China and the UK have also discussed cooperation in combating the pandemic during their phone calls,” he said. 

“China is willing to work with the international community to uphold multilateralism and strengthen international cooperation to jointly safeguard the health and security of mankind,” he stressed.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ambassador explains Chinese role in curbing COVID-19

By Masood Sattar Khan  (Pakistan News & Features Services) The Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, attended the preparation and response plan of the new crown epidemic on April 24. According to the details shared by the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad, Ambassador Yao Jing was invited to attend the Pakistan New Crown Outbreak Preparation and Response Plan (PPRP) on video conference. The meeting, organized by the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was also attended by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister of Economic Affairs, Khasro Bakhtiar, Prime Minister’s Health Adviser Dr Zafar Mirza, Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, General Muhammad Afzal, WHO Director-General, Tan Desai besides the representatives of World Bank, United Nations, UNICEF, UNHCR, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and envoys from more than 20 countries.  Besides China, envoys from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, the European Unio...

Corona field facility at Karachi Expo Centre may admit patients now

By Mukhtar Alam (Pakistan News & Features Services) The 1,200-bed field isolation centre at the Karachi Expo Centre, on April 6, will open its doors for new COVID-19 infected patients of Karachi and other parts of Sindh who will be referred to it by designated tertiary care hospitals, as the diseases infected another 51 people in six districts of Sindh on April 5.  A source in the provincial health department informed PNFS that authorities have decided not to overburden the designated tertiary care health facilities in terms of corona cases further.  The hospitals have now been asked to admit only new severely ill COVID-19 patients or those seeking intensive cares, while the rest will present at the newly established Expo Centre isolation facility, where the Sindh health department has deployed its doctors, paramedics and other human resources, the source added. Through a letter of the health department, all the district health officers of Karachi division have been asked ...

Khumar Farooqui passes away

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) Noted poet and writer, Masroor Alam Farooqui, famously known as Khumar Farooqui, passed away in Karachi after a brief illness. He was 71. He has left behind a widow, two sons and two daughters besides grandsons and granddaughters to mourn his death. Khumar Farooqui was born at Agra, British India, in 1942. Upon migration to Pakistan, he did his MA and LL.B from Rawalpindi. He joined government service at the Federal Bureau of Statistics from where he retired as the Chief Statistical Officer. A born poet, Khumar Farooqui joined the Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology (SSUET), Karachi, as a consultant and worked in its Literary and Cultural Forum headed by Late Brig (Rtd) Qamarussalam after whose death he became the convener of the forum. He used to attend mushairas at national and international levels. His poetry ...