Chinese media will not engage in 'information war', but will respond to slander, govt says

The Chinese media has no intention of fighting the so-called "information war" but will discern right from wrong and restore the truth in the face of rumors and slander against China, an official from the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee said on Sunday in Beijing.

Xu Lin, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and minister of the State Council Information Office, told a press conference that to accuse the Chinese media of false reporting disregards the facts and is totally untenable.

Some foreign politicians and media have claimed China is guilty for being the source of the virus and tried to politicize the COVID-19 pandemic. They played up the presumptions that China was accountable for spreading the virus and concealing the facts, which have no factual basis and disrespect science, Xu said.

Faced with defamation and slander against China, the Chinese media must and will respond, not by playing around with the words, but by clarifying the facts, restoring the truths and maintaining morality and ethics, he added.

Chinese media professionals have conducted in-depth reports on COVID-19 pandemic together with their international counterparts, helping the international community better understand China's efforts in fighting against the pandemic, Xu said.

They rushed to Wuhan, Hubei province, which was the hardest hit area in China, to record Chinese people battle against the coronavirus, answer public concerns, reveal problems and progress in solving of the problems, he said, adding that they have demonstrated professionalism and scientific attitude which should be respected.

As the world is still in a difficult time, it requires global solidarity and cooperation to fight against the pandemic, rather than blaming, stigmatizing each other and politicizing the pandemic, he said.

Xu said false information is also the common enemy to mankind just as the novel coronavirus to mankind. The media should show their responsibility and timely communicate global efforts to give people more hope and confidence in winning the fight.

"The Chinese media are already doing this and will continue to do so," he said.