Chinese Dailies Offer Cooperation to U.S., While Blasting False Accusations against Beijing

April 19, 2020 (EIRNS)—China Daily published a homepage editorial today with a headline carrying a clear message: “Never too late to join hands in fight against real enemy.” But the editorial was also terse in responding to the increasingly outlandish charges being hurled at China:

“The remarks by some senior officials of the United States, the United Kingdom and France last week, complaining of what they allege was China’s lack of transparency in the early stages of the novel coronavirus pandemic, although perhaps intended as China-bashing, came across as a self-pitying attempt to absolve themselves of culpability for the situations in their countries. But try as they might to lay the blame at China’s door, it is not China’s fault that countries are paying the price for not heeding its repeated warnings and the urgings of the World Health Organization that they should be prepared for a potential pandemic.

“And while they are trying to make a case that those did not suffice to spur them to action, they should remember that they have no alibi for their inexplicable inaction after the Chinese government instructed practically one-sixth of the world’s population to stay indoors—including a lockdown on the whole of Hubei province—which brought the world’s second-largest economy to almost a virtual standstill overnight. Coming just three weeks after China gave official warnings on Jan. 3 that it had identified an outbreak, the country’s unprecedented quarantine efforts should have convinced everyone of the seriousness of the situation

“China’s comparatively low death rate in the pandemic originates not from any manipulation of the figures but from the rigorous efforts it has made to cut the transmission chain and concentrate its resources on Hubei province, and on Wuhan in particular.”

Global Times was also acerbic in an editorial today:

"U.S. President Donald Trump tried to prove his effective leadership in the COVID-19 fight during the White House briefing on Saturday. He said that the U.S. mortality rate was 11.24 per 100,000 people, lower than that of Spain, France and Italy. China’s mortality rate is only 0.33 per 100,000 people and Trump blasted it as ‘impossible,’ saying ‘does anybody really believe this number?’...

“The U.S. is the most powerful country and has the most abundant medical resources and the most advanced technology. It could also refer to China’s experience. But now, its daily deaths are around 2,000 and could peak at 4,000. This is completely beyond the Chinese imagination of the U.S. There is no reason for such mass deaths. The COVID-19 spread in the U.S. is almost like that of a primitive society. It should not have been like this if the U.S. had the slightest science and organization....

“Nearly 40,000 people have died of.coronavirus in the U.S., way beyond other countries in the world. And it is hard to tell how large it will become.”