Beijing warns bullying hinders virus battle

China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations on Wednesday warned that unilateralism, protectionism and bullying practices are posing serious challenges to the world in the fight against COVID-19.

"The world has come to a crossroads. At this moment, what is needed is unity, cooperation, and mutual trust, instead of confrontation and the spread of 'political virus'," the Chinese delegation said in a statement.

Through exercising its right of reply in accordance with UN rules, China's UN mission expressed firm opposition to what it called an attack and slander against China in "total disregard of basic facts" by the US side at the UN general debate on Tuesday.

The delegation said that the novel coronavirus is the common enemy of humankind and that China is a victim of the virus and a contributor to the global fight against it.

China reported the epidemic, identified the pathogen and shared its genome sequence with the world at the earliest time possible, the delegation stressed.

"When human-to-human transmission was confirmed, China immediately made the resolute decision to shut all exit routes from Wuhan," it said. "The most stringent closure was imposed on the exit routes from Wuhan city and Hubei province, and traffic control was put in place."

China's epidemic response has been open and transparent, the delegation said, adding:"The timeline is clear, and the facts and data speak for themselves."

According to the delegation, the campaign against China on COVID-19 is an attempt by the US to shift the blame for its own poor handling of its epidemic.

Global cooperation

"The US also arbitrarily attacked and pulled out of the WHO, putting global anti-epidemic cooperation in jeopardy, harming people around the world and incurring a heavy cost for its own people," said the statement, referring to the World Health Organization.

"What the US needs to do now is stop the political manipulation, stop labeling or politicizing the virus, focus on combating the virus at home, and support the UN and the WHO in playing their roles.

By engaging in unilateralism and bullying practices, the US keeps withdrawing from international treaties and organizations, which severely undermines the UN-centered international system and the order based on international law, the delegation said.

"The US flexes its muscles in many parts of the world, interfering grossly in the internal affairs of other countries and instigating 'color revolutions', thus jeopardizing regional peace and stability," the statement said.

The US has also pushed for anti-globalization by erecting protectionist barriers and destabilizing the global supply and industrial chains, the delegation said.

"It is wielding the big stick of unilateral sanctions, frantically containing and suppressing foreign companies, and attempting to artificially cut off the international flow of capital, technology, product, industry and personnel. All these pose a serious threat to world peace and development," it added.