US 'behind the curve' because it has failed to act timely on information given by China: China Daily editorial

While passing the buck to other countries may help ease the discontent of the public at their country's own epidemic control efforts, it also testifies to a country's inability to protect the health of its own people.

Certainly that was the aim of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who claimed that the United States had been put "behind the curve" in trying to contain the novel coronavirus because of imperfect information that China has provided.

But the reality is that the rapid rise in the number of cases in the US is because the administration has not reacted in a timely manner to the information that has been provided by China.

It is no surprise to hear such a groundless statement from the top US diplomat, as he has never ceased wagging his tongue with criticism of China since the outbreak began.

Yet contrary to his claims that China has not been forthcoming with information, after determining the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus, China wasted no time in sharing it, and it has kept the World Health Organization and the world informed of the developments of the epidemic within its borders, maintaining regular communication with countries, including the US.

It is not only the Chinese people's heroic efforts to fight the virus at home that have won worldwide recognition, but also the Chinese authorities' rigorous efforts and the transparency of what it is doing.

Although the US president has acknowledged the merits of China's actions in curbing the spread of the virus at home and abroad, Pompeo seems unable to rid himself of the habit of disparaging China every opportunity he gets - from media interviews to international conferences to his foreign visits - he delights in splashing dirty water on everything concerning China, from its Belt and Road Initiative to its telecommunications giant Huawei, from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Yet none of the myriad charges he has lodged against China is based on facts or reason, which is why he has found few takers for the allegations he seeks to peddle - whether in Europe, Asia or Africa. Indeed, the world's main takeaway from his China-bashing  is that the US now recognizes China as a rival, and if there is anything else, it is only the increasingly low standard he is setting as his country's top diplomat.

The US was the first country to decide to bring its nationals back from Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, which has been the epicenter of the outbreak, and the first country to shut its doors to those arriving from China, turning a deaf ear to the World Health Organization's advice not to do so.

Despite this, the death rate of the epidemic in the US is more than twice that within China. There were 19 deaths out of 477 people infected with the virus as of Saturday. And the fast increase of confirmed cases - 112 on Saturday - indicates the US administration has tremendous work to do, work that is only being impeded by it blaming others for its own faults.

As always, China is open and ready to cooperate with the world, including the US, to fight against a common enemy.