China says U.S. prioritizes political interests in tackling COVID-19

China and the United States have taken two different approaches to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Monday, adding that Beijing gives priority to saving lives, whereas Washington prioritizes political interests.

Zhao made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's attacks on China's handling of coronavirus. In his tweet on Sunday, Pompeo accused Chinese authorities of covering up the outbreak in the city of Wuhan.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference in Washington, June 24, 2020. /AP

Zhao stressed that China gives priority to protecting people's lives and health in the fight against COVID-19. The country "suspended social and economic operations, took decisive measures including lockdown, and followed the professional advice given by the World Health Organization" to block the spread of the virus, he said.

China has been saving lives "at all costs," he said, noting that COVID-19 patients ranging from 108-year-old to 30-hour-old have been treated with every effort.

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On the other hand, the United States has taken a different approach that "prioritizes private interests in politics," the spokesperson said. To this end, Washington "downplayed the outbreak," refused to follow the advice of scientists, and "even shifted blame and responsibilities" to other countries, resulting in a very serious situation in the U.S., he added.

A patient is moved by an ambulance team at a hospital in New York, U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic, May 6, 2020. /AP

The United States has recorded nearly 2.54 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, with a death toll of nearly 130,000 and about 387 deaths per million people, Zhao noted. The numbers are 30 times, 27 times and 129 times that of China's figures respectively, he said.

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Zhao also noted that one-third of all U.S. COVID-19 fatalities were nursing home residents or workers, citing reports by U.S. media in May.

"The U.S. has the most advanced and most mature medical technologies in the world," he said. "Its poor handling of the outbreak is perplexing and worth pondering."

"We again advise Pompeo and other U.S. politicians to give priority to tackling the outbreak and saving lives at home as soon as possible and discard the wrong approach of putting political private interests above the people's lives," he added, urging them to respect facts and science and stop lying.