Ministry, envoy slam US stigmatization

China resolutely opposes the United States utilizing the podium of the United Nations to disregard facts, tell lies, act out of ulterior political motives and blame and stigmatize China on a groundless basis, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday.

In a statement responding to China-related remarks made by the US leader on Tuesday at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, Wang said unilateralism and bullying prove once again to be the most serious threats facing the world.

Wang said China's fight against COVID-19 is transparent, and the US attacking and quitting the World Health Organization endangers global cooperation against the pandemic and will exact a price from the US public.

He also questioned Washington's credibility in raising the climate change issue, given that the country has withdrawn from some international protocols targeting global warming and carbon emissions.

Zhang Jun, ambassador and China's permanent representative to the UN, hit back in New York on Tuesday. He said China was the first to be affected by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, and the country made great efforts and enormous sacrifices in response, and managed to bring the situation under control within a short period of time.

"China, with an open, transparent and responsible attitude, has been providing updates and sharing experience with the WHO and other countries from the very beginning and providing active assistance to many countries, including the United States," Zhang said.

Speaking on China's commitment to combating climate change and protecting the environment, Zhang said China's carbon dioxide emissions in 2018 were 45.8 percent lower than those of 2005, meeting the emission reduction target two years ahead of schedule.

"Lies repeated a thousand times are still lies. US accusations against China are completely baseless and cannot fool anyone," he said.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said, "The US has been playing the blame game and shifting the responsibility on others, which has distracted its focus and eventually given more leeway to the virus."

Ruan warned that ideological prejudices have developed into a "political virus" during the pandemic.

"For example, some politicians are keen to play the blame game and shift responsibilities on others, which has seriously exacerbated potential conflicts among major countries," he said.

"Protecting people's lives is of the highest priority, and human security stands above everything," Ruan said.

Zhang, the ambassador to the UN, said, "The US noise is incompatible with the general atmosphere of the General Assembly. When the international community is going all out to fight COVID-19, the US is spreading a political virus.

"For the US, the most urgent task is to contain the virus, save lives and fix its own problems. Some US politicians' blame-shifting and scapegoating attempts will not get back the time lost or solve any problem," Zhang said.