Chinese immunity from truth

The world’s largest economies, the US and China, have a crucial role to play in sorting out the COVID-19 pandemic and its global consequences. But in spreading delusional claims about the origins of the virus, China is undermining the co-operation needed. As US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a “prickly” meeting with a senior Chinese diplomat, this is no time to be spreading “disinformation and outlandish rumours” about responsibility for coronavirus. In a series of bizarre tweets, Lijian Zhao, a senior spokesman in Beijing’s foreign ministry, claimed the virus was spread by the US Army at the Military World Games in Wuhan last October.

“US Army brought the epidemic to Wuhan … US owe us an explanation!” Mr Zhao tweeted, in an attempt to deny China’s culpability and muddy the waters. Mr Zhao also tweeted a report from a wacky Canadian-based outfit aligned with Russian propaganda, which claimed the virus “escaped” from a US weapons laboratory and was planted in Wuhan. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang also lashed out at those seeking to “connect the coronavirus with China”. Donald Trump, in righteous albeit outspoken indignation, responded. He referred to “the Chinese virus” at a press conference, naming China as “the source” of the pandemic. China was “putting out information, which was false, that our military gave this to them”. Mr Pompeo rubbed in the salt, referring, not inaccurately, to the “Wuhan virus”.

Wuhan is unquestionably where the virus began, which makes it hard to fathom what Beijing wants to achieve. Trying to deflect the focus by implying a conspiracy is in line with the extreme sensitivity of Chinese officialdom from the start. China last month revoked the credentials of three Wall Street Journal correspondents, claiming a headline (which they had nothing to do with) referring to China as “the real sick man of Asia” was derogatory. The piece criticised Beijing’s handling of the outbreak. On Wednesday, Beijing expelled US citizens working for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Voice of America and Time.

Trusted reporting on China and level-headed analysis have never mattered more. Beijing is doing itself and the world a grave disservice in seeking to muddy the waters about the pandemic’s origins. As a key player in the community of nations, Beijing’s irrational theories are as unhelpful as it is possible to be in the crisis.