China lashed out at the United States at a high-level UN meeting.
United Nations, United States:
China lashed out at the United States at a high-level UN meeting on Thursday for its criticism of the coronavirus, with its envoy declaring: “Enough is enough!”
Two days after President Donald Trump used his annual speech to the General Assembly to attack China, his ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, harshly criticized the global role of the United States.
“I must say, enough is enough! They have already created enough problems for the world,” he told a Security Council meeting on global governance attended by several heads of state by videoconference.
“The United States has nearly seven million confirmed cases and more than 200,000 deaths so far. With the world’s most advanced medical systems and technologies, why does the United States have the most confirmed cases and deaths?” I ask.
“If anyone has to be held accountable, it should be a few American politicians.”
Using a phrase that American leaders often say to China, Zhang said, “The United States must understand that a great power must behave like a great power.”
The United States, he said, “is completely isolated.”
“It is time to wake up,” he said in remarks enthusiastically backed by his Russian counterpart.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft expressed anger at the tone of the session, which was chaired by Nigerian President Issoufou Mahamadou.
“You know, the shame of each of you. I am amazed and disgusted by the content of today’s discussion,” said Craft.
“In fact, I am quite ashamed of this Council – ~ CHECK ~ Council members who took this opportunity to focus on political grudges rather than the critical issue at hand. OMG.”
Trump, in his speech Tuesday, had demanded action against China for spreading the “plague” of Covid-19.
China initially suppressed news about the respiratory illness when it emerged last year in Wuhan, and the initial advice downplayed the risks of transmission.
China’s communist leaders have more recently tried to transform the narrative into a successful one to stop the virus.
Trump’s response to the pandemic has become a major political issue as he seeks a new term in the Nov.3 election.
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