China says US hasn’t provided substantive assistance

China has slammed the United States for spreading fear and panic in its response to the novel coronavirus outbreak which began in Wuhan, Hubei province.

Guns blazing

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying singled out the US for some TLC in a press conference on Monday.
“The US government hasn’t provided any substantive assistance to us, but it was the first to evacuate personnel from its consulate in Wuhan, the first to suggest partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, and the first to impose a travel ban on Chinese travelers,” she said.
“What it has done could only create and spread fear, which is a very bad example,” she added.
The Chinese government has been particularly incensed by the travel restrictions placed by some 71 countries on Chinese travelers since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency, believing them to be caused by the “overreaction” and “excessive measures” of the United States.
“It was precisely the US and some other developed countries with sound health systems and advanced public health capabilities that imposed unnecessary or even excessive restrictions on China, which clearly runs counter to WHO advice,” said Hua.
“We hope some countries will see the epidemic and China’s efforts in an impartial and rational manner, follow IHR provisions and the professional, authoritative advice of WHO, and take proper measures that won’t unnecessarily interfere with international travel,” she added.

American companies to the rescue

After the naming and shaming by Hua Chunying, American diplomats appeared to scramble some aid together to be sent along with the two planes it chartered from cargo airline Kalitta Air to evacuate American citizens from Wuhan on Wednesday.

In a tweet on Feb 5, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted, “Proud of our rapid facilitation of the delivery of donated life-saving personal protection equipment and medical and humanitarian relief supplies to the people affected by the #coronavirus in #China. Grateful to the generous U.S. organizations donating to the relief efforts.”

The aid consisted of donations of medical supplies from Boeing, masks from Honeywell, and other donations from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormons) and Samaritan’s Purse, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Another Kalitta Air flight that has been reported to carry donated supplies for Wuhan arrived in Wuxi on Jan 30, but that flight was organised by Chinese diaspora groups based in the United States.
A check on the official website and social media accounts of the US embassy in Beijing showed no evidence of any Wuhan-bound aid prior to Feb 5.
Where the Trump administration falls short — let’s not forget they failed to provide any timely aid to Puerto Rico in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Maria — American companies are more than happy to pick up the slack.
In a report recently released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, American companies were by far the biggest donors in the coronavirus outbreak, giving some 280 million yuan ($40 million), slightly over a quarter of the 1.1 billion yuan pledged by 188 foreign companies ($158 million) by Feb 2.

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