Those who play with fire will get burned, Beijing warns U.S.

Beijing has called the U.S. accusation claiming that China didn't alert the world soon enough to the human-to-human transmission of COVID-19 "gesture politics," warning "those who play with fire will get burned."

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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the remarks during a daily briefing on Wednesday after being asked to comment on U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar's fabrications during his visit to Taiwan.

The spokesperson also informed Taiwan authorities that "Taiwan independence" will only lead to a dead end and attempts to condone and support "Taiwan independence" are doomed to fail.

Medical workers pose for photos after seeing cured patients off at the Wuchang temporary hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 10, 2020. /Xinhua

In response to Azar's accusation, Zhao underlined China's efforts and transparency with a "very clear" timeline in combating the epidemic.

The U.S. had only one confirmed case when Wuhan, once the epicenter of the virus in China, was put under lockdown on January 23, but the number surpassed 10,000 on March 19 and 100,000 on March 27. When Wuhan's lockdown was lifted on April 8, there were 400,000 confirmed cases in the U.S.

Today, the U.S. has exceeded 5 million infections and recorded over 164,000 deaths. Zhao said that both totals are the highest of any country in the world, remarking at how Azar still manages to accuse China with such blatancy.

Spend some time on managing domestic affairs before pointing fingers at others, the spokesperson advised.

U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar is seen on a screen as he speaks during a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan, August 10, 2020. /Reuters

Meanwhile, Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, strongly opposed the MoU the U.S. and Taiwan signed on health cooperation, saying it violated the one-China principle and the provisions of three China-U.S. joint communiques.

To seek independence under the pretext of the epidemic is nothing but a farce, Ma said.

The National Health Commission spokesperson, who was also present at the press briefing, reiterated that the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affairs that allow no foreign interference.