Anyone without bias and prejudice should be clear about who really is the biggest creator and spreader of misinformation concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, and the false accusation against China over the issue is itself part of this misinformation, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks at a routine press conference in response to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday in which the US media outlet cited a European Union (EU) report. China and Russia were accused of spewing out false and misleading online information about the COVID-19 pandemic in the report.
The two nations are among “foreign actors” that sought to “undermine democratic debate” and enhance their own image through “targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns around Covid-19 in the EU,” the bloc’s executive authority said in the report.
The EU is aware of whether or not someone inside the union was spreading such misinformation, Hua said, while noting that the 16-page report failed to mention several obvious facts, and instead singled China out, which not only undermines the reliability and authority of the report, but also constitutes the spread of false information in itself.
China has reined in the epidemic in a very short period of time by implementing strong supervision and taking on its responsibility. China has also been upholding the concept of a community with a shared future and providing assistance and support within its capability to other countries in need, Hua noted.
“We have never, and never had the need to brag or use misinformation to enhance our image,” she said.
China hopes that the EU will uphold the spirit of seeking facts and truth with a responsible attitude, and meet China and the international community halfway to enhance mutual trust and solidarity, and fight against the novel coronavirus as well as the various political viruses, said the spokesperson.
Demonstrators hold an EU flag outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, on June 10, 2020. Britain will not extend its transitional links to the European Union (EU) beyond Dec. 31, a government minister said Tuesday following the stalled talks between London and Brussels last week. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)
