China's contribution to COVID fight indelible: China Daily editorial

The only reason why some in the United States are trying to reheat the discredited theory that China is to blame for the COVID-19 is that they believe doing so will whitewash the failings of the US administration to respond to the pandemic effectively, and provide another pressure point for its de facto campaign to isolate China after it realized its tariff coercion isn't going to work.

Their finger-pointing at China is based on their hope that if they repeat the lie often enough it will become the truth. In the latest endeavor in that regard, the White House published an article on April 18, misrepresenting China as the source of the virus. This once more demonstrates the US' obsessive determination to rewrite the history books as fiction.

All the facts related to the fastest-spreading and most extensive global health crisis that humanity has faced in a century are clear. The attempt to rehash the "China threat" theory again and serve it up those whose tastes extend beyond conspiracy theories gobbled up by the MAGA gullible, is doomed to be sent back to the kitchen as it is distinctly unappetizing, lacking any kind of scientific basis and being politically motivated.

That the then US president took to the White House briefing room in April 2020 at the height of the pandemic in the US and encouraged his top health officials to study the injection of bleach into the human body as a means of the fighting the virus shows how unscientific the then administration's response to the pandemic was.

With the White House seemingly signaling that its politicizing of the pandemic is simmering on the back burner, the Chinese government released a white paper on Wednesday to present a systematic overview of the facts and China's key achievements in the origin tracing of the virus. The document, "COVID-19 Prevention, Control and Origins Tracing: China's Actions and Stance", not only sets the record straight as to what, why and when, but also attests to the country's contribution to international cooperation, especially its assistance to those countries most in need, as well as its unwavering commitment to a scientific response.

In a stark contrast with the China-bashers' allegations that are invariably backed by a vague "reportedly" and their "facts" from anonymous sources, the Chinese document provides a solid foundation of facts related to the whole process of the pandemic that are recognized by the global scientific community, and the majority of countries.

Reading the document, any people with an open mind can see clearly which country has demonstrated a commitment to transparency and responsibility at every stage of the pandemic, and which country has left no stone unturned to scapegoat others for the pandemic to hide its own disastrous response to it.

China lost no time in sharing, fully and without reservation, epidemic updates, prevention strategies, diagnostic and clinical treatment protocols, and its technical expertise, as well as vaccines and protective materials, with the World Health Organization and countries worldwide. By contributing its insights, solutions and strengths to the collaborative global fight against the pandemic, it made every effort to provide much-needed support to the international community.

As the white paper says, China has always applied a science-based approach to the task of tracing the virus origins, actively engaging with the WHO in communication and cooperation from the start of the outbreak. At the invitation of China, the world health body sent two international expert missions to the country to carry out a joint study into the origins of the virus. Their findings were compiled into a joint study report that was released globally, earning endorsements from both the international community and the scientific community.

Mounting evidence shows the virus appeared in the US earlier than the US' official timeline of the pandemic and also earlier than in China. Perhaps that is why the US has never accepted any WHO virus origin tracing study on its soil despite the strong urging of the international community and scientists.

Infectious diseases are the common enemy of humanity. Any attempt to politicize the scientific effort against infectious diseases will ultimately threaten the health and well-being of the entire world, including the very nation engaged in such practices.

The White House's attempts to manipulate public opinion will never succeed. Both the international community and the scientific community are now savvy to the White House's tricks. The US administration cannot obscure the truth and people are tired of gagging on the lies it would have them swallow. The US should try a new menu of cooperation and collaboration, it might find that can do it a world of good.