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BEIJING: COVID-19 is a wake-up call for the world, and blame-sharing “will only bring a greater disaster,” China’s Foreign Minister said on Monday (September 28).
Days after the United States and China attacked each other on UN platforms over the coronavirus outbreak, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi told a forum in Beijing that individual countries had “converted the solemn international headquarters of the UN in a space of action to serve its citizens “. own politics and self-interest. “
READ: ‘Enough is enough’: China attacks the United States in the UN Security Council
China has recently moved to reshape the narrative of the pandemic from its early outbreak in Wuhan to a story of the country’s success in stopping the spread of the virus.
But the United States has led nations to criticize Beijing for its handling of the epidemic.
China suppressed news about the respiratory disease when it first emerged last year and the initial advice downplayed the risks of transmission.
“Apart from working together and helping each other, we have no other choice,” Wang added at the event co-organized by the China Public Diplomacy Association, where he sought to position China as a responsible great power.
Wang’s comments came less than a week after US President Donald Trump used his annual address to the UN General Assembly to attack China’s record, and the US ambassador to the world body he adopted a tone of indignation that surprised diplomats.
LEE: Trump says the UN must ‘hold China responsible’ for COVID-19
Trump in his speech demanded action against China for spreading the “plague” of COVID-19 to the world, drawing the ire of Beijing.
“As UN Secretary-General (Antonio) Guterres emphasized, this epidemic is not just a wake-up call, but also a simulated crisis,” Wang said.
“In the face of global challenges such as the epidemic, if we go our own way or treat our neighbors as enemies, it will only bring a greater disaster.”
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