China on Monday rejected Australia’s call for a probe examining the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.
But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the accusations disrespected “the Chinese people’s tremendous efforts and sacrifices” in fighting the contagion.
“Any question about China’s transparency in the prevention and control of epidemic situation is not in line with facts,” Geng told a regular press briefing.
He was speaking in response to a question about Australian foreign minister Marise Payne, who a day earlier said her country would “insist” on the probe into the response by Beijing and the WHO.
Washington and several allies have accused China of ‘failing to adequately respond’ to the viral disease threat in the weeks after it was first detected in the central city of Wuhan late last year.
US President Donald Trump also cut funding to the World Health Organization after accusing it of ‘mismanaging’ the crisis and ‘covering up the seriousness’ of the initial outbreak before it spread around the world and killed more than 165,000 people.
Source: AFP
