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 COVID-19 is that they believe doing so will whitewash the failings of the US administration in its response to the pandemic, and provide another pressure point for its de facto campaign to isolate China after realizing its tariff coercion isn't going to work.

Their China finger-pointing is based on their hope that if they repeat the lie often enough it will somehow become true. In the latest endeavor in this regard, the White House published an article on April 18, misrepresenting China as the source of the virus. This once more demonstrates the obsessive determination of the US 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, and the repeated attempts to rehash the "China threat" story with different dressings are doomed to failure. The continual helpings of discredited theories about the origins of the virus will likewise be sent back to the kitchen as they are deeply unappetizing, lack any kind of scientific basis and are politically motivated.

That the then US president took to the White House briefing room in April 2020 and encouraged his top health officials to study the injection of bleach into the human body as a means of fighting the virus shows how unscientific the administration's response to COVID-19 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 Chinabashers' allegations that are invariably backed by a vague use of the word "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 person with an open mind can see clearly which country demonstrated a commitment to transparency and responsibility at every stage of the pandemic, and which country left no stone unturned to scapegoat others to hide its own disastrous response.

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 attempts by the White House to manipulate public opinion will never succeed. Both the international community and the scientific community are now savvy to such 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 put out a new menu. One that lists cooperation and collaboration among its offerings. It might find that such an approach can do it a world of good.