Trump's 'Chinese Virus' Remark... China Responds, "Then It's America's AIDS!"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Sunmi Park] As President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the 'Chinese virus,' the Chinese medical community has countered by citing examples such as the AIDS virus, influenza virus, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), arguing that the origin and outbreak of a virus are not necessarily the same. The World Health Organization (WHO), which receives significant support and investment from China, pointed out that the term 'Chinese virus' is inappropriate and cautioned President Trump about his remarks.

According to the Global Times on the 19th, Lao Yi, a prominent figure in China's life sciences and dean of Beijing Capital Medical University, responded to President Trump's continued use of the term 'Chinese virus' for COVID-19 by asking, "According to the U.S. government's logic, the first AIDS patient was reported in the United States on June 5, 1981. Should AIDS be called the 'American sexually transmitted virus'?" He also questioned, "Should the spirochete bacterium that causes syphilis, which originated in North America and spread widely in Europe, be called the 'North American spirochete'?"

Dean Lao also revisited the influenza virus that struck the world around 1918, commonly known as the 'Spanish flu,' pointing out that it actually originated in the United States. He said, "At the time, it was called the 'Spanish flu,' but it is now generally recognized that the origin of this disease was Kansas, USA. The virus spread worldwide after infecting U.S. troops. Spain was merely part of the transmission route. This virus should be renamed the 'American influenza virus.'"

Dean Lao claimed, "The 'American influenza virus' caused 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide, which is more than the combined casualties of World Wars I and II and all wars in the 20th century." He added, "About 45 million people have been infected with the North American spirochete, with 100,000 deaths annually. More than one million people are infected with the American sexually transmitted virus, with approximately 770,000 deaths each year. The number of infections and deaths caused by these three viruses originating in the United States far exceeds the number of COVID-19 victims."

Zhong Nanshan, China's top authority on infectious diseases and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, also lent his support. At a press conference held in Guangzhou the previous day, he emphasized, "Although MERS occurred in Saudi Arabia in 2012, it cannot be called the 'Saudi virus.' It occurred naturally." He stated, "While it is true that COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, there is no evidence that Wuhan is the origin. The origin and outbreak are not necessarily the same."

These claims by Chinese scientists came amid President Trump's repeated use of the term 'Chinese virus' to criticize China over COVID-19.

On the 18th (local time), at a COVID-19 task force press briefing, President Trump dismissed the use of the term 'Chinese virus' as not racist at all, saying, "Because it came from China. The Chinese government did not provide timely information about the COVID-19 outbreak that started in Hubei Province," he criticized. Regarding a White House official calling the COVID-19 virus 'kung flu,' he responded, "People would probably agree 100% that the virus came from China."

The World Health Organization (WHO), which has been consistently criticized for 'taking China's side,' immediately pointed out that President Trump's use of the term 'Chinese virus' was inappropriate. It cautioned, "Viruses know no borders. We must be careful not to use language that associates individuals with viruses."

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