Chinese Foreign Ministry: "China is also a victim of COVID attacks... not the perpetrator"

During the high-intensity social distancing period to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), commuters hurried near Seoul City Hall on the morning of the 6th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] China emphasized its position as a "victim, not a perpetrator" regarding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Geng Shuang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 20th, "China, like other countries, is a victim attacked by the virus, not a perpetrator. It is certainly not an accomplice of the virus." This statement was made in response to the United States raising the issue of China's responsibility for the spread of COVID-19.

Spokesperson Geng said, "When the novel flu (H1N1) erupted massively in the United States in 2009, killing 200,000 people in 214 countries, was there any country demanding compensation from the U.S.?" and "During the global financial crisis that started in the U.S. in 2008, was there any demand for the U.S. to take responsibility?"

He added, "The enemy of the United States is not China but the virus," and demanded, "Stop the groundless attacks against China."

Regarding U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggesting the possibility that the COVID-19 virus originated from the Wuhan Virus Research Institute in China, Spokesperson Geng said, "The origin of the virus is a scientific issue," and "It should be studied by scientists and must not be politicized."

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