China says it is a victim not initiator of COVID-19 disinformation
Updated 18:21, 27-Apr-2020
CGTN
Chinese medical and technical experts share their experience with their Venezuelan counterparts in COVID-19 prevention, control and treatment in Caracas, Venezuela, April 1, 2020. /Xinhua

Chinese medical and technical experts share their experience with their Venezuelan counterparts in COVID-19 prevention, control and treatment in Caracas, Venezuela, April 1, 2020. /Xinhua

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday that the country is a victim not an initiator of COVID-19 disinformation while responding to a question about a European Union report that alleges China of spreading disinformation about the pandemic. 

"China always opposes the fabrication and spread of disinformation by any person or institution," spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing, stressing that the Chinese government has been "open, transparent and responsible" in its efforts to share information and experience with the world since the start of the outbreak. 

China is also actively engaging in international cooperation to fight COVID-19 and providing assistance within its capacity to other countries, Geng added. 

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China has earned the appreciation of the international community through arduous efforts, sincerity and a sense of responsibility, not by spreading disinformation, he said, calling on the international community to boycott disinformation and work together to defeat the coronavirus. 

Geng also commented on a leaked 57-page memo of the U.S. Republican Party that advises its candidates to address the COVID-19 pandemic by attacking China. 

The memo, which was sent by the National Republican Senatorial Committee to GOP campaigns, guides Republican candidates on how to blame China for "covering up" the virus. 

"The United States insists that China is spreading disinformation," Geng said. "We have to ask: Who on earth is spreading disinformation?" 

China firmly opposes some Americans' acts of involving China in the U.S. election campaign and discrediting China over the outbreak, he added.

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