"Chinese Virus" VS "Brought by US Troops"... Controversy Over Racism

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] Amid the worsening racial discrimination against East Asians in Western countries due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), American politicians continue to refer to COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus," provoking strong backlash from China. The situation has escalated to the point where there is even a controversial theory suggesting that the "Chinese virus," as claimed by the U.S., might have been transmitted to Wuhan by the U.S. military.

On the 13th, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Geng Shuang stated, "The international community holds differing opinions regarding the origin of COVID-19," adding, "China has been closely monitoring discussions related to the origin of COVID-19. We firmly oppose some senior U.S. government officials and politicians who irresponsibly and falsely accuse China by taking advantage of this situation."

Earlier, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claimed on his Twitter account that "the U.S. military may have brought the COVID-19 virus to Wuhan," urging the U.S. to disclose detailed information such as the timing of the first patient, the number of infected individuals, and hospital names. Hua Chunying, another spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also stated on Twitter that "some cases diagnosed as flu in the U.S. were actually COVID-19," and said, "It is inappropriate to call this disease the 'Chinese coronavirus.'"

Recently, Chinese state-run media such as Global Times and Huanqiu Shibao have expressed strong dissatisfaction with American politicians' use of the term "Chinese virus" through editorials. They argue that it is unfair to label the virus as Chinese when the origin of COVID-19 has not yet been clearly identified.

In an editorial dated the 12th, the newspaper criticized Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House Majority Leader, for recently calling COVID-19 the "Chinese coronavirus" on Twitter, and also condemned Senator Paul Gosar, a Republican, for using the term "Wuhan virus" in another setting. The editorial also sharply criticized U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for calling COVID-19 the "Wuhan virus" in a report on the 9th, reinforcing the claim that the virus originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

The newspaper pointed out that such remarks are racist, stating, "As the virus spreads in the U.S., there is a perceived need to shift responsibility (to other countries)."

In the editorial on the 13th, the newspaper openly expressed dissatisfaction with White House National Security Advisor O'Brien's mention of "Chinese responsibility" for the initial failure to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. The editorial criticized, "O'Brien has recently accused China of covering up the epidemic and attacked China, which is a shameless attempt to shift blame for the epidemic," and argued, "The U.S. had time to prevent the epidemic, but politicians wasted that time mocking and blaming China."

While the U.S. and China are disputing the origin of COVID-19, racial violence against East Asians continues unabated in Western countries.

A man in his 20s from Singapore studying at a university in the UK was assaulted earlier this month in central London after being told, "We don't want your coronavirus in our country." Recently, in New York, a Korean woman in her 20s was assaulted by a local Black woman for not wearing a mask, and an incident occurred on a Brooklyn subway where a Black passenger sprayed a chemical irritant at another Asian male passenger.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, countries around the world referred to the virus as "Wuhan pneumonia" or similar terms, but since the WHO officially adopted the name COVID-19, there has been a social atmosphere urging restraint from using terms like "Wuhan pneumonia," "Wuhan virus," or "Chinese virus." The WHO advises against using names of specific locations, ethnic groups, or religions when naming new infectious diseases to prevent negative impacts on particular regions, peoples, or animals.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.