Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

China to Trump: Racism is not the right tool to cover your own incompetence

China to Trump: Racism is not the right tool to cover your own incompetence

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Tuesday that some US politicians' connection of the novel coronavirus to China is "stigmatization", which China strongly condemns and firmly opposes.

He made the remark when asked to respond at a news conference to United States President Donald Trump's remark on social media late on Monday that referred to the novel coronavirus as a "Chinese virus".

The president defended his labeling at a White House briefing on Tuesday, saying that "I didn't appreciate the fact that China was saying that our military gave it to them. Our military did not give it to anybody."

"We urge the US side to immediately correct its mistake and stop making groundless accusations against China," Geng said, adding that the World Health Organization and the international community had explicitly opposed connecting the virus with a certain country or region.

Given that the epidemic is spreading across the world, Geng said the top priority now is cooperation in combating the virus. The US should mind its own business first and meanwhile play a constructive role in international epidemic cooperation and in safeguarding global public health, he added.

Trump's reference came nearly a week after Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a US House hearing that it was "wrong and inappropriate" to use such labels as "Chinese coronavirus", as the virus had expanded beyond China and severely affected other parts of the world.






US Senator Tammy Duckworth said Tuesday that with Asians experiencing increased racism because of the COVID-19 outbreak, it was simply irresponsible and wrong for Trump to stoke fear by calling the pathogen the "Chinese virus".

"Pandemics don't care about race, ethnicity or anything else," the Illinois senator said on Twitter.

Rick Dunham, a veteran journalist and former president of the National Press Club in Washington, told China Daily on Monday: "Viruses do not have a nationality. I think it is objectionable in all cases to connect a disease, a virus, with a geographical location, because diseases are not national, they are global."

Dunham said that the outbreak is bringing out the best and the worst in people around the world, in terms of communities getting together and people sacrificing, but also with some playing a blame game.

"The enemy is the virus. The enemy is not another country," he said. It is "always a bad idea" when there is a pandemic to have a country name attached to it, he said.

Replying to Trump on Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Trump's Twitter post was misplacing blame and could put more Asian Americans in harm's way.

"Our Asian American communities — people YOU serve — are already suffering. They don't need you fueling more bigotry," tweeted de Blasio, whose city had reported at least 810 confirmed coronavirus cases, including seven deaths by Tuesday.

Long Xingchun, an adjunct senior fellow at Beijing Foreign Studies University's Academy of Regional and Global Governance, said that by stigmatizing China, some US officials are not only ignoring the WHO's suggestion not to relate the virus with any country, but are also trying to mask domestic criticism of the US administration's failure to promptly contain the outbreak.

Using inappropriate words to describe the virus when there is no scientific basis for its origin is an attempt to distract the public in the US, Long said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
×