US Political Circles Push for Road Name Change at Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C.

To Honor Dr. Li Wenliang, the Chinese Doctor Who First Warned About COVID-19... Also Interpreted as a Card to Pressure China
If Finalized, '3505 International Place' Will Be Renamed 'Li Wenliang Plaza 1'

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Young-shin] The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 8th that there is a movement in the U.S. political sphere to rename the road of the Chinese Embassy in Washington to "Li Wenliang Plaza."

Li Wenliang was a doctor who was the first to warn about the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China but was punished as a rumor-monger. Li Wenliang died after testing positive for COVID-19, and the Chinese government belatedly awarded him the Youth Medal, one of the highest honors in China.

SCMP reported that the renaming of the road at the Chinese Embassy in Washington is being promoted mainly by Republican members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican who supported the road name change, explained his support by saying, "The United States will stand with the oppressed," and "Dr. Li must never be forgotten."

The current road name of the Chinese Embassy in Washington is "3505 International Place." If the change is finalized, it will be renamed "1 Li Wenliang Plaza." Although the purpose of the road name change in the U.S. political sphere is to honor Li Wenliang, it is analyzed that various intentions are embedded. As President Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the issue of China's responsibility for the spread of COVID-19, worsening U.S.-China relations to the extent that the term "new Cold War" has emerged, the Chinese government is opposing the road name change, stating that it cannot accept the U.S. political sphere’s intentions as goodwill.

SCMP also reported that the U.S. House of Representatives has formed a "China Task Force (TF)." The TF is known to conduct extensive investigations related to COVID-19 issues concerning China. Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said, "There will be a broad investigation into China's role in the origin and spread of COVID-19, China's influence on the United States, and economic threats to the U.S. and its allies."

SCMP introduced that this is not the first time the U.S. political sphere has renamed a road. In 2016, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to rename the road of the Chinese Embassy in Washington to "Liu Xiaobo Plaza." Liu Xiaobo was a figure who led the "Charter 08" demanding political reform in China in 2008. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 while imprisoned on charges of subversion. He died while incarcerated.

The U.S. political sphere also renamed the road outside the Soviet Embassy in Washington in 1980 after Andrei Sakharov, a Soviet nuclear physicist and human rights activist. However, SCMP added that the U.S. political sphere’s China blame narrative could have side effects such as fueling racial discrimination within the United States.

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