The United States, China and Russia fought a bitter battle over the coronavirus epidemic during a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, as UN chief Antonio Guterres told the body he had failed to control COVID-19.
Guterres blamed a “lack of global preparedness, cooperation, unity and solidarity” for the out-of-control coronavirus and the possibility of around one million deaths globally. More than 32 million people have been diagnosed with the virus.
“The epidemic is a clear test of international cooperation – a test we have essentially failed,” he told the 15-member body. If this is how the environmental crisis was approached, he said, “I fear the worst.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, who is running for re-election, has made it more challenging to spread the disease across the country and on Tuesday called for action against China for spreading the Kovid-1 of the plague around the world.
The U.S. has reported more than 200,000 deaths, the highest in the world, and blamed Beijing for the lack of transparency that it said had erupted. China denies the claim.
‘It’s too late now’
U.S. Ambassador Kelly Kraft reiterated those allegations at a virtual meeting of the council, responding angrily to her Chinese counterpart Zhang Jun.
“Enough,” he said. “You have already created problems for the world. U.S. It should be understood that blaming others will not solve its own problems. ”
Speaking in English and noting U.S. deaths and cases, Zhang added: “With the world’s most advanced medical technologies and systems, U.S. Why caused the most confirmed cases and casualties?
“If anyone is to be held accountable, it must be a few American politicians.”
U.S. “Absolutely different,” he added in a comment backed by his Russian counterpart.
Beijing’s bid for greater multilateral influence in the challenge to Washington’s traditional leadership has been highlighted by a boiling point over the long-running epidemic between the United States and China.
Many diplomats were off-guard in Craft’s attack.
He said, “I am ashamed of you.”
“I am amazed and disgusted with the content of today’s discussion. I am really ashamed of this council – the members of the council who took this opportunity to focus on the political trend rather than the crucial issue at hand. Oh my god
The diplomats said they were stunned by the tone taken by Kraft, who had departed from there by the time the Chinese ambassador spoke.
A diplomat told the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity that Kraft was “very aggressive” after a session “filled with more or less consent”.
‘Broken’
Nancy Soderbergh, a former US ambassador to the UN, told Al Jazeera that the organization was “a microcosm of the state of the world” and that the test mood of the incident showed how the global response to the epidemic was “broken”.
“It simply came to our notice then. “It is in the interest of each country to work together and take the necessary steps to keep their people safe.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov – without naming names – noted that the epidemic was exacerbating differences between states.
“We see efforts by current countries to use the current situation to advance their narrow interests of the moment, to settle scores with undesirable governments or geopolitical rivals.”
Meanwhile, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has called for better coordination and cooperation.
The UN is part of a global effort to ensure that the COVID-19 vaccine is available to all. Is compiling, but the U.S. That China has not signed up. [File: Dado Ruvic/Reuters]
He said the major countries would do more to put the future of humanity first, reject the Cold War mentality and ideological bias and come together in a spirit of partnership to face difficulties.
The United Nations is pulling out of the Geneva-based World Health Organization after Trump accused China of being a puppet during the coronavirus epidemic. The WHO has denied Trump’s claim.
“At times, geographical states have interfered with our cooperation and hindered our agility. The epidemic has never before tested the international system, “said Lord Tariq Ahmed, Wimbledon’s Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth. “But now is not the time to reject international organizations.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also visited the US. Appeared haphazardly hanging on when he said that “all the work has been done in recent decades by the feminist movement for gender equality”, not to weaken the epidemic.
“We must be vigilant, we must be vigilant, especially when it comes to protecting sexual reproductive rights,” he told the Security Council.
The Trump administration has pushed the UN against the promotion of sexual and reproductive health rights and services for women because it sees it as a code for abortion. Earlier this month, the U.S. partially opposed a UN General Assembly resolution on the coronavirus epidemic. Voted because it contains such language.
World leaders were asked to send speeches in advance for the Virtual General Assembly so that Chinese President Xi Jinping could not respond to Trump’s video allegations when he delivered his speech.
A spokesman for the General Assembly, Brendan Verma, said China had requested any nation to speak on Tuesday, the day it was scheduled to respond to the statements.
