China on Sunday accused the
United States of pushing the bilateral ties to the brink of a "new Cold
War" by spreading "lies" about the coronavirus and said it was
open to international efforts to identify the source of the deadly virus.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi
also said the lawsuits filed against China in the US demanding compensation for
COVID-19 is an attempt to blackmail a victim with fabricated evidence.
Under constant attack from
US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over the origin of
the coronavirus and failure to provide timely information, Wang launched a
broadside against Washington in his annual press conference.
He accused American politicians
of spreading "political virus" to smear China.
"It is the most
regrettable that while the coronavirus is still out there, a 'political virus'
is also spreading in the US and jumping at any opportunity to attack and
slander China," he said in a video media conference on the sidelines of
China's annual session of the National People's Conference.
"Some political forces
in the US are taking China-US relations hostage and pushing our two countries
to the brink of a new Cold War," Wang said.
Some politicians ignored
the basic facts and made up countless lies and conspiracy theories concerning
China.
"The longer the list,
the more it says about how low the rumour-mongers are willing to go and the
more stains they will leave in history," Wang, who is also the State
Councillor, said.
He was scathingly critical
of especially the lawsuits against China.
A lawsuit was filed by
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt against the Chinese government, the
ruling Communist Party of China, and other Chinese officials and institutions
in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
It alleges that during the
critical weeks of the initial coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese authorities
deceived the public, suppressed crucial information, arrested whistle-blowers,
destroyed critical medical research and permitted millions of people to be
exposed to the virus, causing a global pandemic that was unnecessary and
preventable.
Observers say the Missouri
lawsuit could pose a problem to China given the US courts' claim of universal
jurisdiction.
Asked whether Beijing is
concerned that China's overseas assets could be seized, Wang said "some
people are clamouring for so-called accountability and compensation from a
victim of COVID-19.
"They are fabricating
so-called evidence for frivolous lawsuits. These people are tramping on
international rule of law and betraying human conscience," he said.
"If anybody thought
they could use some ludicrous lawsuits to undermine China's sovereignty and
dignity to deprive the Chinese people their hard-won gains they will be
daydreaming and bring disgrace to themselves," he said.
He also struck a
reconciliatory note saying that both the US and China should work together.
The COVID-19 pandemic is
the common enemy of China and the US and it is the shared wish of the people of
the two nations to support and help each other.
China and the US should
share the experience of the epidemic fight and learn from each other to boost
their respective responses, Wang said. -- PTI