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Myth 1: The virus originated in Wuhan, it is "China virus" or "Wuhan virus".
Truth: Wuhan city in China first reported COVID-19 cases, but that doesn't mean the virus originated in Wuhan. WHO has specific rules on how to name the virus.
·The origin of the novel coronavirus is a matter of science that requires professional and scientific assessment. Research by scientists from China, the US, Europe, Japan etc. has shown that there is no certain conclusion as to the origin of COVID-19. Although Wuhan city in China first reported the outbreak, there is no evidence that China is the source of the virus that caused COVID-19.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/27/c_138824145.htm
Historically, the place where a virus first reported was not necessarily where it originated. For example, the first HIV/AIDS cases were reported in the US, but HIV may have originated in West Africa. And more and more evidence proves that the Spanish Flu did not originate from Spain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS
·Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), used to acknowledge publicly that some people who died from the season flu starting from September 2019 in the US might actually have been COVID-19 cases.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4860650/user-clip-diagnosed-flu-covid-19
Michael Melham, Mayor of Belleville of New Jersey, said that he has tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, and thinks he may have been sick with the virus back in November 2019. That is over two months before the first reported case in the US on 20 January 2020.
https://news.yahoo.com/belleville-mayor-coronavirus-antibodies-heres-194441834.html
On 6 May, USA Today reported that 171 people in Florida showed symptoms of COVID-19 as early as in January 2020, and none reported traveling to China. That was several months before officials announced it had come to Florida.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/05/patients-florida-had-symptoms-covid-19-early-january/3083949001/
Giuseppe Remuzzi, director of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan in Italy, said some family doctors in Lombardy had reported unusual cases of pneumonia in late November and December last year that now looked potentially suspicious.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-italy-timing/italian-scientists-investigate-possible-earlier-emergence-of-coronavirus-idUSKBN21D2IG
According to a study by scientists at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, strains from the Asia-Pacific region (including Wuhan, Hubei) are not associated with those in France,the coronavirus outbreak in France was not caused by cases imported from China, but from a locally circulating strain of unknown origin.
http://www.china.org.cn/world/2020-05/04/content_76005325.htm
French researchers led by Yves Cohen, head of resuscitation at the Avicenne and Jean Verdier hospitals in Paris, retested the retained samples from pneumonia patients admitted previously and found the test result of a French man admitted on December 27 last year to be positive. They said the absence of a link with China and the lack of recent travel "suggest that the disease was already spreading among the French population at the end of December 2019". WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said that "it's also possible there are more early cases to be found". He encouraged other countries to check records for cases in late 2019, saying this would give the world a "new and clearer picture" of the outbreak.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-france-retests/frances-early-covid-19-case-may-hold-clues-to-pandemics-start-idUSKBN22H15R
·There is a clear consensus by WHO and the international community that a virus should not be linked to any specific country, region or ethnic group and such stigmatization should be rejected. WHO, in collaboration with the World Organization for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, identified the Best Practices for the Naming of New Human Infectious Diseases on 8 May 2015. According to these guidelines, the naming of a disease should avoid geographic locations, people's names, species/class of animal or food, cultural, population, industry or occupational references (for example legionnaires) and terms that incite undue fear. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/163636/WHO_HSE_FOS_15.1_eng.pdf
On 11 February 2020, WHO, on the basis of the 2015 Best Practices for the Naming of New Human Infectious Diseases as well as international public health practices, officially named the pneumonia caused by novel coronavirus the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200211-sitrep-22-ncov.pdf?sfvrsn=fb6d49b1_2
The pandemic of influenza in 2009 began in North America. WHO didn't call it North American influenza. It was eventually named "Influenza A virus subtype H1N1".
https://www.daydayhub.com/2020/03/19/who-responds-to-trump-calling-new-crown-virus-chinese-virus-virus-should-not-be-linked-to-race/
Last April, the British science journal Nature published three editorials, apologizing for connecting COVID-19 with Wuhan and China. It called for an immediate stop to coronavirus stigma and the irresponsible act of associating a virus and the disease it causes with a specific place.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01009-0
Myth 2: The novel coronavirus was constructed by or accidentally leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology
Truth: Wuhan Institute of Virology has nothing to do with the origin of novel coronavirus.
·On May 1, The World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated that the novel coronavirus which causes COVID-19 is "natural in origin." Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, told a virtual press conference from Geneva that scientists who are examining the genetic sequences of the virus have assured "again and again that this virus is natural in origin."
https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2020-05-01/who-assures-that-coronavirus-is-natural-amid-trump-attacks
·According to a report published on the website of National Geographic on May 4, Anthony Fauci, top U.S. infectious disease expert and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in an interview: no scientific evidence the coronavirus was made in a Chinese lab. Meanwhile, based on the scientific evidence, he also didn't certain an alternate theory-that someone found the coronavirus in the wild, brought it back to a lab, and then it accidentally escaped.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/05/anthony-fauci-no-scientific-evidence-the-coronavirus-was-made-in-a-chinese-lab-cvd/
·On 30 April, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence of the US issued a statement on its official website making clear that the Intelligence Community concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not man-made or genetically modified.
https://www.odni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/item/2112-intelligence-community-statement-on-origins-of-covid-19
·In his blog article posted on 26 March, Francis Collins, Director of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), pointed out that this novel coronavirus arose naturally. Researchers discovered that the virus could not have been man-made for it does not have the backbones of known coronaviruses. Instead, it probably evolved from a bat coronavirus and a novel virus found in pangolins. It is not the product of purposeful manipulation in a lab.
https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2020/03/26/genomic-research-points-to-natural-origin-of-covid-19/
·John Ratcliffe, the U.S. director of National Intelligence Nominee, said at a Senate nomination hearing on May 5 local time that he had not seen any evidence that novel coronavirus originated in the laboratory or from the Wuhan market in China.
http://www.kten.com/story/42091805/trumps-pick-for-spy-chief-pressed-on-coronavirus-origins-in-china
·Peter Daszak, President of the US EcoHealth Alliance and a virus expert who has been working with the WIV for the past 15 years, said during his interview with CNN on 26 April that the Wuhan P4 Laboratory didn't have the virus that led to COVID-19, and what has been found now are close relatives, not the same virus. So it's not a possibility that the virus could have come from that lab.
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2020/04/26/exp-gps-0426-daszak-int.cnn
·An official at French President's office said in mid-April that "there is to this day no factual evidence ... linking the origins of COVID-19 and the work of the P4 laboratory of Wuhan, China."
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-france-lab-idUSKBN21Z2ME
·According to the results of the paper "The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2", published in the journal Nature Medicine on March 17th, the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is a product of natural evolution. Analysis of public genome sequence data from SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses found no evidence that the virus was manufactured in the laboratory or otherwise designed. "By comparing the available genome sequence data for known coronavirus strains, we can firmly determine that SARS-CoV-2 originated through natural processes," said Kristian Andersen, an associate professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research and corresponding author
of the paper.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9?fbclid=IwAR1Nj6E-XsU_N6IrFN1m9gCT-Q7app0iO2eUpN5x7OSi-l_q6c1LBx8-N24
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200317175442.htm
Myth 3: Novel coronavirus is caused by Chinese people's consumption of wild animals. China has reopened wildlife markets.
Truth: The source and intermediate host of novel coronavirus transmission have not yet been identified. There are no so-called "wildlife wet markets" in China.
·Bats are never part of the Chinese dishes. Wuhan Huanan seafood market, where cluster cases were identified in the early days of the epidemic, does not sell bats.The Internet video clip in which a Chinese female tour guide drinks bat soup was part of a travel promotion show filmed by her team on a small Pacific island in 2016 and was posted online that year. Bat soup was a local specialty.
·On February 29th, "Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)" was released. According to the report, COVID-19 is a zoonotic virus,bats appear to be the reservoir of COVID-19 virus, but the intermediate host(s) has not yet been identified.
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf
·On 21 April, WHO spokesperson Fadela Chaib said at a news briefing that all available evidence suggests the virus has an animal origin and is not manipulated or constructed in a lab or somewhere else. It most likely has its ecological reservoir in bats but how the virus came from bats to humans is still to be seen and discovered.
https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/us-coronavirus-update-04-21-20/h_802e1e857336975e196e3c25c647b02e
·Scientists around the world are looking for the source of the coronavirus, its intermediate host and how it spreads to humans, but there are still no clear results.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00548-w
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/which-species-transmit-covid-19-to-humans-were-still-not-sure-67272
https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-three-misconceptions-about-how-animals-transmit-diseases-debunked-134485
·At present, there is no clear evidence to prove that Wuhan seafood market is the source of transmission of the novel coronavirus.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/wuhan-seafood-market-may-not-be-source-novel-virus-spreading-globally
·According to CNN May 5th report, a new genetic analysis of the virus that causes Covid-19 taken from more than 7,600 patients around the world by British researchers shows it has been circulating in people since late last year, and must have spread extremely quickly after the first infection. Genetics researcher Francois Balloux of the University College London Genetics Institute told that the virus first started infecting people at the end of last year.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/05/health/genetics-coronavirus-spread-study/index.html
·There are no so-called "wildlife wet markets" in China. It is more common to find farmers' markets and live poultry and seafood markets, which sell agricultural products such as fresh meat, fish, vegetables and seafood, with a few selling live poultry. Such markets exist not only in China, but are also in many developing countries and are closely linked to the lives of the local people. International law does not impose restrictions on the opening and operation of such markets. China has legislated a comprehensive ban on the illegal activities of hunting, trading, transportation and consumption of wild animals. Farmers' markets and live poultry and seafood markets in China are not wildlife trading markets. The sale of wildlife at farmers' markets and seafood markets is illegal in China and punishable by law once found. Chinese government has always put people's lives and health as the first priority. Relevant departments and local governments in China have further strengthened the management of farmers' markets and live poultry and seafood markets since the outbreak of COVID-19, implemented a series of strict quarantine inspections and ensured that all animal disease prevention and control measures were put in place.
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/t1772783.shtml
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-04/23/c_139002600.htm
·"Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on a Complete Ban of Illegal Wildlife Trade and the Elimination of the Unhealthy Habit of Indiscriminate Wild Animal Meat Consumption For the Protection of Human Life and Health"was adopted at the 16th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Thirteenth National People's Congress on February 24, 2020. According to the decision, eating the meat of "terrestrial wild animals with significant ecological, scientific, or social value" protected by the State and other terrestrial wild animals, including those bred artificially or in captivity, shall be forbidden. Hunting, trading or transporting for meat terrestrial wild animals that grow and reproduce naturally in the wild shall be banned.
http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/lawsoftheprc/202003/e31e4fac9a9b4df693d0e2340d016dcd.shtml
http://www.china.org.cn/china/2020-02/25/content_75740946.htm
Myth 4: China deliberately covered up the truth during the outbreak which led to the spread of the virus.
Truth: China has notified the international community of the epidemic information at the earliest possible time and offered a precious window period for the world.
·Novel coronavirus is an unknown virus. In the early stage of the outbreak, there was no scientific proof that this novel virus could cause a dangerous pandemic. After the evidence confirmed human-to-human transmission, China timely adopted the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures. China has all along acted with openness, transparency and a sense of responsibility, faithfully fulfilled its duties and obligations under the International Health Regulations, and promptly informed the international community of the epidemic information.
December 27, 2019
--Dr. Zhang Jixian, director of the respiratory and critical care medicine department of Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, reported three cases of pneumonia of unknown cause immediately after receiving the patients. This was the first reporting of suspected cases of a new disease by local authorities of China. On the same day, the Wuhan CDC conducted epidemiological investigation and testing on the patients concerned.
Dec 31, 2019
--The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission released a situation report on pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan. On the same day, China informed the WHO China Country Office of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan.
Jan 3, 2020
-- Starting from Jan. 3, China has been regularly informing the WHO, relevant countries including the United Stats, regions and China's Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan about the epidemic.
Jan 12, 2020
-- China submitted to the WHO the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus, which was published by the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) and shared globally.
Jan 20, 2020
-- The high-level expert group of the National Health Commission informed the media that the novel coronavirus could be transmitted from person to person.
Jan 22, 2020
-- WHO issued a warning about the potential risk of human-to-human transmission on its website.
Jan 23, 2020
-- The Chinese Government took the unprecedented control measure of shutting down Wuhan city's outbound channels at airports and railway stations.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-04/06/c_138951662.htm
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/08-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19
https://www.facebook.com/XinhuaNewsAgency/videos/719676398839172/
·In contrast to China's response measures, the US government had not declared a national emergency until 13 March, 70 days after it was notified by China of the new virus on 3 January 2020, 40 days after it closed its borders on 2 February to all Chinese citizens and foreign nationals who had traveled in China within 14 days.
·On May 1, Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of the prominent British medical journal The Lancet, said in an interview that China's decision on Wuhan showed that the government acted tremendously and decisively in the face of an acute emergency, and by taking those actions China let the world know how to respond to this pandemic. Back to the end of January, the WHO has already declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a "public health emergency of international concern", but most Western countries did not use the time to take efficient measures to save lives. The US has wasted the whole of February and early March. After WHO declared emergency, some member states still did nothing. It is disappointing to see American politicians giving credence to conspiracy theories, and the discussions of the pandemic have ended up being interpreted as part of geopolitical struggles of nations. These accusations would destabilize the joint anti-virus efforts.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-05-01/Useless-incorrect-to-blame-China-for-COVID-19-origin-Lancet-expert-Q93DwqFYIg/index.html
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1187265.shtml
·The WHO has repeatedly stressed that the world had enough time to intervention.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/01/who-defends-its-coronavirus-response-the-world-had-enough-time-to-intervene.html
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said during an interview that she had not seen anything suspicious, and the WHO delegation which included US technical experts visited China and collected a huge amount of data; China had been sharing expertise from time to time with teams all over the world, not just the WHO; China had been extremely open to dialogues and discussions.
https://theprint.in/theprint-otc/who-chief-scientist-denies-covid-19-cover-up-says-no-reason-to-think-china-hiding-data/409298/
·According to the reports of CNN and POLITICO, in January and February this year, the US President Donald Trump praised China for 15 times on different occasions such as giving interviews, making remarks and posting tweets, including appreciating China's efficiency and transparency in the fight against the epidemic.
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/04/15/trump-blames-who-past-china-comments-cpt-sot-vpx.cnn
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/15/trump-china-coronavirus-188736
Myth 5: China arrested Dr. Li Wenliang, a whistle-blower, to cover up the spread of the virus.
Truth: Dr. Li Wenliang was not a whistle-blower, and he was not arrested.
·All countries have strict rules on the confirmation of infectious diseases. This is a common practice.China's Law on Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases has established strict approval procedures and rules for the reporting, verification and information release of an infectious disease.
·Dr. Zhang Jixian, a respiratory doctor, was the first to report COVID-19 cases, and was awarded for this contribution. Dr. Zhang Jixian had informed the Wuhan Department of Disease Control and Prevention of an increase of abnormal pneumonia cases on December 27, 2019. Three days earlier than Dr. Li, the government had actively began to investigate and carefully collected evidence. The government issued the first notification of the outbreak on December 31.
·On the afternoon of 30 December 2019,Dr. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist, sent a CT scan of one patient's lung and some information to his WeChat group of medical alumni. He claimed that there were "seven confirmed SARS cases", and advised his friends to take precautions and not to spread the information. However, leaked screenshots of the conversation spread quickly on the Internet and caused panic.
On 3 January 2020, Wuhan's local police authorities asked Dr. Li to a police station for inquiry, and urged him to stop spreading unconfirmed information by issuing him a letter of reprimand. He then returned to work as usual.
In mid-January, Dr. Li started to show symptoms of infection. And on 31 January, he was confirmed to be infected by COVID-19.
On 7 February, Dr. Li passed away after all rescue measures were exhausted. On the same day, the National Health Commission publicly expressed condolences over his death. The National Supervisory Commission decided to send an inspection group to Wuhan to investigate issues related to Dr. Li.
On 19 March, the inspection group released its findings and held a press briefing. Wuhan's Public Security Bureau announced the decision on the matter, pointing to the misapplication of relevant legal provisions in Dr. Li's case, and revoked the reprimand letter.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-03/19/c_138896212.htm
·Dr. Li Wenliang was a good doctor. He was a member of the Communist Party of China, not a so-called "anti-establishment figure". On 5 March, he was named a "national model healthcare worker in fighting COVID-19". On 2 April, he was honored as a martyr.
Labeling Dr. Li Wenliang as an "anti-establishment hero" or "awakener" is very disrespectful to Dr. Li and his family. It is purely political manipulation with no sense of decency. On 28 April, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and the All-China Youth Federation jointly issued the 24th "May Fourth Medals" to honor outstanding representatives and role models of Chinese youths, and Dr. Li Wenliang was among the honorees.
The Independent Media Institute conducted a thorough investigation on how the media made unjust reporting about Dr. Li, and concluded that the attempt of Western media to describe what happened to Dr. Li as evidence of the Chinese government's suppression of information about the virus is simply not logical.
https://independentmediainstitute.org/growing-xenophobia-against-china-in-the-midst-of-coronashock/?from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=0
Myth 6: China concealed and manipulated COVID-19's confirmed cases and death figures.
Truth: China has been fully open and transparent about its COVID-19 data. The figures can well stand the test of history. Global expert research proves that there is no manipulation of China's epidemic figures.
·As of 21 January, China's National Health Commission (NHC) started to update the public on a daily basis on the COVID-19 situation of the previous day on its official website and through its social media accounts. Starting from 27 January, the State Council inter-agency task force on COVID-19 has been holding daily press briefings to release key information and respond to questions from domestic and foreign media. More than 3,000 press conferences have been held at national and sub-national levels. Government officials, medical workers, experts and recovered patients engaged the media face-to-face without dodging any questions.
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2020-05/05/nw.D110000renmrb_20200505_2-03.htm
·After the epidemic situation was under overall control, Wuhan backtracked and verified the confirmed cases and death figures. On April 17, Wuhan revised the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths. This practice meets the requirements of the regulations including Law of China on Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases. After revising the relevant data, China immediately reported this update to the world publicly.Revising statistical standards is a common international practice. For example, on 29 April, the UK government began to count fatal cases outside hospitals, and revised their figures accordingly. On 17 April, the Spanish government published an order for its autonomous regions to harmonize how they collect data and stated that the published numbers would be revised.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/17/who-says-china-revised-coronavirus-infection-data-to-leave-no-case-undocumented.html
·The relevant low number of confirmed cases and fatalities in China was attributable to the Chinese Government's timely and strong prevention and control measures. The Science magazine estimated in one of its reports that these measures helped prevent at least 700,000 infections in China. The Chinese government always puts people first. In its fight against COVID-19, saving lives is the government's number-one priority. China has expanded hospital admission and treatment to cover all those in need to cure and save as many patients as possible. All suspected cases and close contacts have been placed under quarantine at designated places to cut off the chain of transmission and stem the further spread of the virus. That is why China's nationwide infection rate has stayed relatively low. In Hubei Province alone, over 3,600 patients aged 80 and above have been cured, including seven centenarians.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-04-24/What-s-behind-China-s-low-COVID-19-death-rate-PX2qeQrKCI/index.html
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/03/30/science.abb6105?rss=1
·A study papar titled "Benford's Law and COVID-19 Reporting", co-authored by Christoffer Koch from the research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Ken Okamura from the Said Business School at the University of Oxford, pointed out that China's confirmed infections matched the distribution expected in Benford's Law, a statistical fraud detection technique, and are similar to those seen in the United States and Italy, and thus they could find no evidence of manipulation.
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202004/30/WS5ea9c08ea310a8b241152bce.html
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1187305.shtml
·On April 29, the scientific journal Nature published a paper titled "Population flow drives spatio-temporal distribution of COVID-19 in China". The results confirm the accuracy of the reporting of COVID-19 cases in China, and the information obtained from different sources (population movements as shown by mobile communications) is a good predictor of the number of cases and is consistent with epidemiological expectations.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2284-y
Myth 7: China is responsible for the global spread of COVID-19. There must be lawsuits against China to hold it accountable and make it pay for COVID-19.
Truth: The virus can break out at any time and any place and it is the common enemy of mankind. China is also the victim of the epidemic. There is zero legal basis for holding China accountable and making it pay for COVID-19 .
·COVID-19 is a natural, not man-made, disaster. China, like other countries, is a victim, not a culprit.
·The international law and the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) provide no basis for national responsibility for a pandemic. If the outbreak was first reported and started in China and China should apologize and compensate, a number of countries in the world should have apologized and compensated earlier. Who should be responsible and compensate for pandemic diseases such as H1N1 flu, AIDS, and mad cow disease?
https://www.justsecurity.org/69394/covid-19-and-international-law-must-china-compensate-countries-for-the-damage-international-health-regulations/
·There is no legal ground to demand that China be held accountable and pay for COVID-19. According to international law, state responsibility occurs when acts of the responsible state constitute a breach of international law and there is a causal link between such acts and losses suffered by the injured state. China's COVID-19 response does not breach any international law.
·Chinese experts pointed out that suing China over the global epidemic of COVID-19 not only challenges China's national sovereignty and violates the principles of international law, but also fails to be supported even by the domestic law of the U.S. The alleged act of the Chinese government does not meet either of the exceptions of the immunities of state.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-03-20/Suing-China-for-causing-COVID-19-pandemic-A-farce-in-the-name-of-law--P11Dmmw1xu/index.html
·Any scholar or practitioner with the basic knowledge of international law would have taken one look at the headlines about these allegations and immediately draw the conclusion that such allegations by reference to international law is not taking international law seriously.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-04-11/Suing-China-for-COVID-19-is-not-taking-international-law-seriously--PAXE13o8GA/index.html
·On May 4, one of the world's top magazines, Nature, published a study by experts from China, the US, and the UK, according to whose modeling framework that the three major groups of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) (inter-city travel restrictions, early identification and isolation of cases, and contact restrictions and social distancing) taken by China not only contained the spread of COVID-19 in China, but also bought precious time for the world. The study points out that without the combined NPIs, the COVID-19 cases in China would likely have shown a 67-fold increase to over 7 million.
Myth 8: China "feared" independent international investigation team visiting China.
Truth: China supports professional exchanges between scientists, but firmly opposes international investigation based on the presumption of guilt and politically-driven for the purpose of stigmatizing China.
·On January 20-21, 2020, a WHO delegation conducted a field visit to Wuhan to learn about the response at the earliest time. From February 16 to 24, 2020, the WHO joint mission experts visited Beijing Municipality and the provinces of Guangdong, Sichuan and Hubei for field research. As for the Wuhan Institute of Virology, it is open to international communication. Ever since its establishment, it has received visits by many international scientists including those from the United States.
https://www.who.int/china/news/detail/22-01-2020-field-visit-wuhan-china-jan-2020
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf
·At present, the COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading around the world. The urgent task for all countries is to coordinate and cooperate to defeat the pandemic. What we oppose is unfounded charges against China and arbitrary investigation based on the presumption of guilt. One should not accuse China first and then run so-called international investigations just to make up the evidence. Political maneuvers are just unhelpful and non-constructive. https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjbxw/t1775016.shtml
· China supports WHO Director-General in establishing a review committee according to the International Health Regulations with the mandate of the WHA or the Executive Board to assess global response to COVID-19 in an open, transparent and inclusive manner at an appropriate time after the pandemic is over. The purpose is to summarize experiences and shortfalls in the global response and propose suggestions as to how to enhance WHO's work, countries' core public health capacity, and global preparedness in the face of major infectious diseases.
Myth 9: China's aim is using aid to create "traps" and expand its geographical influence.
Truth: China's assistance to other countries is a return of their kindness in helping China with COVID-19 response. It is also a concrete step to put into action the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
·At the critical moment for Chinese people to fight the epidemic, 71 countries and 9 international organizations donated materials for preventing and controlling the epidemic, showing their sincere kindness to Chinese people. Now China's battle of epidemic prevention and control achieved major strategic results after hard work. At present, the entire world, especially the western countries are facing the problem of lacking of the epidemic-resistant materials. China, which has already passed the peak of the epidemic, has gradually released huge production capacity. The only reason why China is actively assisting other countries is to fight the epidemic and save more lives.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/17/c_138792313.htm
·China has been sharing its control experience extensively, providing medical and protective supplies and sending medical teams to other countries. As of mid-May, China has launched an online knowledge center, published seven editions of diagnostic and therapeutic protocols and six editions of containment plans, and set up a two-billion-yuan fund for COVID-19 cooperation. Chinese medical experts have had over 120 video conferences with their counterparts from more than 160 countries and international organizations. China has sent medical supplies to over 150 countries and international organizations and 21 medical teams to 19 countries. It has established a joint expert team with the EU and a joint response and cooperation mechanism with the Republic of Korea. China has donated US$50 million in cash to WHO. And in response to the debt service suspension initiative for the poorest countries adopted at a recent G20 meeting, China has agreed to suspend principal and interest repayment for 77 developing countries' debts due between 1 May and the end of 2020. These actions of support and assistance have been widely recognized by the international community, as they displayed China's spirit of solidarity and mutual help in difficult times and highlighted the importance of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
https://covid19.21wecan.com/
https://www.brecorder.com/2020/04/22/591489/china-provides-emergency-medical-support-to-over-150-countries/
https://www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=54910&SEO=china-to-donate-another-us30-million-to-who
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-05-05/China-to-expand-COVID-19-cooperation-special-fund-says-envoy-QeFnoKhY76/index.html
·Up to May 1st , China has provided more than 5.3 billion masks, 330 million pairs of surgical gloves, 38.85 million pieces of protective clothing, 5.98 million pairs of goggles, and nearly 7500 ventilators to the United States.
https://twitter.com/globaltimesnews/status/1257988027009265671
·When China faced the critical situation of the epidemic, Indian government donated two batches of medical supplies to China. The well-known Indian movie star Amir Khan recorded videos to cheer for China. People from all walks of life in India also actively provided assistance to Chinese students in India . After the outbreak of the epidemic in Indian , we gave help to the Indian side within our ability, opening up channels for India's commercial procurement from China and provide various conveniences and assistance. Ma Yun Foundation and Alibaba Foundation donated protective clothing, masks, ventilators and other medical supplies to the Indian Red Cross. Some Chinese organizations, Chinese-funded enterprises and charities donated medical supplies to India. Local friendly provinces and cities of the two countries, such as Guangdong Province, donated medical supplies to Gujarat while Chongqing gave help to Chennai. At present, Indian people are fighting against the epidemic under the leadership of the Indian Government. We are willing to work together with India to overcome the epidemic as soon as possible.
https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/e-commerce/e-tailing/jack-ma-foundation-alibaba-donate-medical-supplies-covid-19-test-kits-to-india-other-nations/74884035
·China has never asked any country to give any geopolitical rewards for China's assistance. American politicians have no evidence to prove that China has made such a request.
Myth 10:Masks, PPE and testing kits manufactured and exported by China are counterfeit and shoddy products.
Truth: Chinese government strictly controls the quality of medical supplies fighting against COVID-19 and safeguards safety and health of the people in the world.
· The quality of epidemic prevention supplies is vital to maintain good health for the people and strengthen capabilities to containing the novel coronavirus for the whole world. It's also a matter of national reputation for China. As the epidemic spreads rapidly around the globe, the demand for epidemic prevention materials grows fast, the Chinese government exhausts its abilities to provide necessary support for the international community. At the same time, the Chinese government attaches great importance to the quality and safety of medical supplies. The relevant authorities have stepped up joint actions to tighten quality control over medical exports and ensure proper export procedures. By cracking down on sub-standard goods and bad faith and illicit behaviors, China has ensured the quality of medical exports to better support the global response to the virus.
· Chinese government ramps up the export restrictions and try its best to guarantee quality. Ministry of Commerce and other authorities issued the No. 5 Public Notice on 31st March, clarifying that all the manufacturers/exporters of epidemic preventions supplies must be granted certificate from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), including testing kits, medical mask, PPE, ventilator and infrared thermometer. Moreover, Ministry of Commerce and other authorities issued the No. 12 Public Notice on 25th April, strengthening supervision over the quality of non-medical masks and standardizing the order of exporting medical supplies.
·The epidemic prevention supplies exported to India are amenable to quality checking. SARS-CoV-2 Antibody testing kits manufactured by Wondfo Biotech and Livzon Diagnostics have obtained the certificate from NMPA and completed the evaluation of the National Institute of Virology of the Indian Council of Medical Research. The above mentioned testing kits have been exported to a lot of European, Asian, North and Latin American countries. Many authoritative medical agencies of these countries have released evaluation reports with good results.
https://en.wondfo.com.cn/2020/04/28/statement-from-wondfo-biotech-following-the-indian-council-of-medical-research-icmr-advisory-on-rapid-antibody-blood-tests/
http://www.livzondiagnostics.com/en-us/info/87.html
·As per the report of Daily Mail on 27th April, researchers in San Francisco studied 14 different antibody tests and found that Wondfo Biotech has an accuracy rate of more than 99%.
https://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-8261179/Coronavirus-antibodytesting-accuracy-study-reveals-flawed-results.html
·As per the report of Daily Mail on 28th April, the University of California San Francisco conducted a project. Wondfo's test registered 81.8% on the sensitivity measure and guaranteed a specificity of 99.1%.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8262463/Is-Britains-standardantibody-tests-high.html
Myth 11: A large amount of foreign capital is withdrawing from China, and the world industrial chain may be " decoupled" from China.
Truth: At a time when China's economy has been returning to normal from COVID-19, FDI is still increasing its presence in China.
·The joint survey report released by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and PWC in April showed that, over 70% of the U.S. companies in China said that they would not relocate the manufacturing, supply or procurement operations out of China due to the impact of COVID-19. Moreover, most of the surveyed enterprises also opposed the "decoupling" of China-U.S economic and trade cooperation.
https://www.amchamchina.org/about/press-center/amcham-statement/supply-chain-challenges-for-us-companies-in-china
·The "Special Report on the Impact Coronavirus" released by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China showed that, 75% of the companies were confident in the prospects of the China's economy and said they would not change the reinvestment plan, regardless of the impact of COVID-19.
http://www.amcham-southchina.org/amcham/static/publications/Special%20Report%20on%20the%20Impact%20of%20Coronavirus/mobile/index.html
·On April 29, 2020, Schneider Electric signed an agreement with Xiamen to increase investment and plan to produce a new generation of digital green electrical products.
http://www.forbeschina.com/billionaires/48640
·On April 22, 2020, ExxonMobil's large-scale ethylene project in Guangdong held a "cloud start" ceremony.
http://m.xinhuanet.com/gd/2020-04/24/c_1125898781.htm
·China's unremitting efforts to improve the business environment have won praise from the international community. According to the world bank's "Ease of Doing Business rankings", China's overall ranking has risen 15 places from the previous year to 31st.
https://www.doingbusiness.org/en/rankings
·According to the "Global Investment Trends Monitor" released by UNCTAD in January, in the latest global ranking for attracting FDI, China ranks 2nd in the world and 1st among developing countries, and continues to be the most favored destination for FDI.
https://unctad.org/en/Pages/Publications/Global-Investment-Trends-Monitor-(Series).aspx
Myth 12: Chinese investors made opportunistic acquisitions of valuable enterprises in India during the current COVID-19 epidemic.
Truth: Chinese investment in India serves mutual beneficial and win-win cooperation, which has not only promoted the improving and upgrading quality of Indian manufacturing sector, but also improved the living standards of the Indian people and created a lot of jobs.
·Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, said in an interview with India's CNBC TV18: "Greenfield investments from China are greatly welcomed and so are the Chinese manufacturing enterprises. Alibaba, Fosun and many other Chinese companies provided large sums of capital for Indian companies. The Indian market benefited from Chinese mobile phone and telecom enterprises such as Xiaomi and Huawei. "
https://www.cnbctv18.com/videos/economy/no-intention-to-stop-chinese-investments-in-startups-says-niti-aayog-ceo-5733001.htm
·Mr. Mohan Guru Sami, a former adviser to the Indian Ministry of Finance, published an essay named Money Has No Nationalities on April 20 on Economic Times. China's equity investment in startups such as Snapdeal, Ola, Swiggy and Paytm has exceeded $6 billion. Large-scale investment has increased the market value of Indian startups.
https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-economic-times/20200420/282063394104656
·In August 2015, the Chinese electrical appliance brand Haier was honored with Product of the Year award in home appliances category. The prize recognizes high-quality, innovative brands in Indian manufacturing sector.
http://www.haier.net/en/about_haier/news/201503/t20150324_264437.shtml
·Business Today and other Indian media reported that Chinese mobile phone brand OPPO hired freshers from reputed institutions like IIM, IIT, DU, JNU, creating a lot of job opportunities in India. Chinese mobile phone brand Vivo planned to create 40,000 jobs in the next 10 years.
https://www.businesstoday.in/current/corporate/vivo-plans-to-create-40000-jobs-in-india-over-10-years/story/375744.html
http://bwpeople.businessworld.in/article/OPPO-will-be-creating-a-lot-of-job-opportunities-for-Indians-Brand-Director-OPPO-India-/25-10-2018-162904/
Myth 13: Taiwan's early warning of the outbreak to the WHO was ignored. China blocked Taiwan region from joining the WHO,bringing threat to the health of people of Taiwan region and international cooperation against the pandemic.
Truth: The Taiwan region of China did not send any warning to WHO. What it did was asking for more information from the organization after the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reported the disease. Taiwan, being part of China, has no right to join WHO, whose membership requires sovereign statehood. The technical cooperation channel between China's Taiwan and WHO is unimpeded.
·On December 31st, 2019, after Wuhan issued a notification of the epidemic situation of pneumonia of unknown causes, the local health department in Taiwan sent a letter to the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China for the information that Wuhan Municipal Health Commission had released. The NHC promptly made a written reply through the designated contact points specified in the Cross-Strait Cooperation Agreement on Medicine and Public Health Affairs.. On the same day, the health department in Taiwan sent the so-called "warning email" to WHO (see picture below).The email made no reference to "human-to-human transmission". It was primarily an inquiry about information from WHO. The facts are clear. It was the mainland of China who first released the information, and the health department in Taiwan merely relayed the message. There is no such thing as "Taiwan reported to WHO first".
·WHO has made it clear time and again that the Taiwan region of China did not give it "warning", but was purely requesting relevant information. WHO had already received multiple inquiry emails from other sides before Taiwan sent the email. On 20 April, WHO again clarified the matter at its press briefing.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/media-resources/press-briefings (From 15th min on)
·It was not until 21 January that the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in China's Taiwan region. Prior to that, Taiwan did not have any first-hand information on clinical cases, let alone the ability to determine whether there was human-to-human transmission. There is no evidence to support Taiwan's allegation that it had issued a "warning" about "human-to-human transmission".
·The WHO is a specialized agency of the UN composed of sovereign states. As part of China, Taiwan has no right to join in the WHO. Its participation in the activities of the WHO and other international organizations must be arranged through cross-straits consultations under the one-China principle.
(Constitution of the WHO, https://apps.who.int/gb/bd/pdf_files/BD_49th-en.pdf#page=7)
·Upon its accession to the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), China stated that the IHR applies to the entire territory of the People's Republic of China, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and the Taiwan Province.
·As agreed upon by the Chinese government and WHO, a WHO IHR Contact Point has been set up in China's Taiwan and the region has an account to access the WHO Event Information Site for the timely updates on global public health emergencies released by WHO. Information on public health emergencies occurred in Taiwan can also be reported to the WHO in a timely manner. There is no barrier to technical cooperation between China's Taiwan and WHO. Between early 2019 and early May 2020, 24 person times from 16 expert groups of Taiwan attended the technical conferences held by WHO.
·Since the start of COVID-19, China's National Health Commission has provided timely information to the Taiwan region. As of 6 May, China's mainland had updated Taiwan on the situation 148 times. In mid-January, the mainland arranged a field visit to Wuhan for experts from Taiwan to help them learn more about the diagnosis and treatment of confirmed cases and COVID-19 response measures.
Myth 14: China "manipulates" the WHO.
Truth: China is active in fulfilling its responsibilities as a WHO member. WHO is a completely independent international organization that cannot be manipulated.
·WHO is a specialized UN agency responsible for public health security. It has 194 member states. Eleven members on its 21-strong headquarters leadership team are from the US, the EU, Canada and Australia, and only one is from China. They are all trained or practicing doctors, epidemiologists, rescue workers and public health experts.
https://www.who.int/dg/who-headquarters-leadership-team
·In 2018 and 2019, China was the third biggest donor to WHO's assessed contributions, after the US and Japan. According to WHO, assessed contributions only account for less than a quarter of its total funding, with the rest being voluntary contributions. With both sources of funding counted, China is the ninth biggest contributor. And if donations from businesses and NGOs are also factored in, China's ranking would be even lower.
·The WHO Emergency Committee has played an important role in putting forward proposals for prevention and control of the COVID-19 outbreak. The committee is composed of independent experts from many countries, including the United States. According to a report carried by the Washington Post, Martin Cetron, director of the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provided advice that guided the WHO's decision to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in late January.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-04-30/Pompeo-s-political-coercion-against-the-WHO-is-a-global-threat-Q7prDmA4ve/index.html
·The CDC praises WHO as 'great partner', and will continue to work with it to fight the pandemic. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it will donate another $150 million for the global response to COVID-19. Its co-chairman Bill Gates said the world needs WHO now more than ever.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/apr/15/dr-robert-redfield-who-has-been-longstanding-partn/
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/15/bill-gates-calls-trumps-decision-to-halt-funding-for-who-dangerous.html
·In contrast to the United States' criticism of WHO, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and leaders of Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada has urged support for the WHO and called for enhancing international cooperation on fighting the pandemic.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/guterres-urges-support-for-who-after-trumps-threat/articleshow/75058361.cms
Myth 15: Africans were under racial discrimination during China's fighting against COVID-19 epidemic.
Truth: China treats all foreign nationals in China alike in its action to control COVID-19. China follows a zero-tolerance policy on discriminatory words and actions.
·Despite its own difficulties, China has given care and protection to all Africans in China, especially African students. The more than 3,000 African students in Hubei Province including Wuhan are all safe and sound, except for one student who contracted the virus but was quickly cured.
·As of 13 April, Guangzhou had reported a total of 26 imported cases among foreign nationals, including 19 Africans. The enhanced testing and control measures taken by China are for both Chinese citizens and all foreign nationals in China. They are not targeted at any nationality or race. Their purpose is to protect public health and people's wellbeing. A few isolated incidents that occurred in this process due to miscommunications or misunderstanding have been timely and properly handled through close communication between the relevant Chinese authorities and government officials of the African countries concerned. On 18 April, the dean of the African Consulate Corps in Guangzhou confirmed that Guangdong Province and Guangzhou City have taken multiple steps to protect the rights and interests of African expatriates there.
· Rumors circulated online. Guangzhou Police has investigated and punished a netizen who spread false information. On a press conference in April 7th, officials from Guangzhou Government have said measures were tightened in accordance with the requirements of COVID-19 outbreak prevention and control, but that people and cars were free to come in or go out as long as they finished other procedures.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-04-07/Guangzhou-dispels-rumors-of-coronavirus-outbreak-among-Africans-PuCX8JNzfa/index.html
· Assistant Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Chen Xiaodong Meeting with African Diplomatic Envoys to China on April 13th said that China is paying serious attention to the issues regarding the situation of Africans in Guangzhou and elsewhere involved in local outbreak response. Health measures will be implemented in a non-differential way. The African envoys agreed to work with China and to urge and guide African nationals to abide by Chinese laws and observe the containment measures of China.
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjbxw/t1769665.shtml
· Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama on April 14th said that some Nigerian citizens were confirmed to have COVID-19 after arriving in Guangzhou. The Chinese authorities demanded them to be quarantined for 14 days. The strict move was misinterpreted to appear as if it was only targeting Nigerians and Africans which was not the case. Nigeria had re-established and stabilized the situation together with the Chinese government and the isolated Nigerians in Guangzhou were looked after well.
https://africa.cgtn.com/2020/04/15/nigerians-not-mistreated-in-china-nigerian-foreign-minister-says/
· Prof. Paul Zilungisele Tembe, South African research fellow of the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute (TMALI) said in his paper headlined 'Seek truth on racism claims in Guangdong' on IOL online in April 24th that mandatory testing and quarantining has been met with charges of stigmatization and unfair discrimination against Africans. The actions taken by the Guangdong authorities are relatively understandable. They are applying the same stringent measures, perfected in Wuhan, to stop the spread of the second wave of coronavirus infections from both internal transmissions and imported cases.
https://www.iol.co.za/news/opinion/seek-truth-on-racism-claims-in-guangdong-47133883
Embassy of the People's Republic of China in India
2020.5.16.
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