China says US ties ‘on brink of new Cold War’

This political virus uses every opportunity to attack and discredit China. Some politicians have ignored basic facts and created too many lies and plotted too many conspiracies against China.

China is open to international cooperation to identify the source of Covid-19, but any probe should be “free of political interference”, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said on Sunday, warning that the US is pushing to “the brink of a new Cold War”.

At a media briefing, the state counsellor rejected America’s “lies” over the coronavirus.

A “political virus” is spreading in the US causing politicians there to take very opportunity to attack and discredit China, he said, speaking at his annual news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the National People’s Conference (NCP), China’s legislature.

“Thispoliticalvirususesevery opportunity to attack and discredit China. Some politicians have ignored the most basic facts and created too many lies and plotted too many conspiracies against China,” Wang said.

Wang’s comments come in the backdrop of rising tension between Beijing and Washington on a host of issues including the pandemic, Hong Kong’s political status and sale of US arms to Taiwan. Beijing and Washington engaged in a war of words after the US criticised China’s handling of the outbreak, suggesting that it had come from a laboratory in Wuhan city, where the virus emerged late last year. Wang said China and the US need to start coordinating macro policies for their respective economies as well as the world economy.the US should stop wasting precious time, he added.

China remains prepared to work with the US in the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect, he said. China, he said, was open to “…the international scientific community’s cooperation in virus tracing research. At the same time, we believe that this process should adhere to professionalism, fairness and constructiveness.”

The investigation should be led by WHO scientists, he said.