US' scapegoating of China rebuked

Scapegoating China for shortcomings by the United States in tackling the novel coronavirus outbreak will harm international cooperation to contain the virus as well as China-US ties, analysts said.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that China could have told the US earlier about the outbreak, and it "could have been transparent much earlier", according to a report by CNN.

The remarks came after repeated attacks on China by US officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, who accused China of covering up information.

Such remarks show that the US government, which "lacked preparation previously" in tackling the virus, is trying to shift blame to China as the situation worsens, said Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University.

What China has done in international cooperation to fight the virus is "beyond reproach", Li said, adding that its communication with the US has been smooth, and Washington's buck-passing will impede global efforts to contain the pandemic.

China has been briefing the US about the outbreak and its prevention efforts regularly since Jan 3, according to the Foreign Ministry.

On Jan 4, the heads of the two countries' centers for disease control and prevention talked over the phone and agreed to maintain close communication on information sharing and technical cooperation, the ministry said.

On Jan 27, principal health officials of the two countries spoke on the phone, and the US side expressed appreciation for the Chinese government's transparency in response to the outbreak, according to the ministry.

Trump also said on social media on Jan 25 that the US "greatly appreciates" China's "efforts and transparency".

A China-World Health Organization joint mission, including two US experts, said in its report that China's "remarkable speed" in the face of the virus gained "invaluable time for the response" after the mission paid a nine-day visit to China in February.

Jin Canrong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, said that anyone without bias will admit that China has been transparent in sharing its epidemic control efforts with the international community.

"Our enemy is the novel coronavirus disease, not certain countries or peoples," Jin said.