China demands "Provide evidence" from US lawmaker claiming "Western vaccine development obstruction"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Chinese government has condemned a U.S. senator's claim that China is obstructing the development of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, demanding evidence.

Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 8th, "The senator says the U.S. has evidence; if so, present the evidence," adding, "There have been too many instances of the U.S. slandering and defaming China."

The "senator" referred to by China is Republican Senator Rick Scott. In an interview with BBC on the 7th, he stated, "We have evidence that China is trying to hinder us or slow down the vaccine development." Although Senator Scott did not provide separate evidence, he responded that related information came from intelligence agencies.

Spokesperson Hua pointed out the U.S. claim that China is trying to obstruct vaccine development, saying, "The development of the COVID-19 vaccine is not a dispute between China and the U.S., but a battle between humanity and the virus."

Furthermore, Hua said, "Chinese President Xi Jinping promised at the World Health Organization (WHO) assembly that once China completes the COVID-19 vaccine, it will become a global public good," adding, "We hope the U.S. will also make a promise to share the vaccine with the world if it develops one first."

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