Ambassador blasts senator for conspiracy theories

China’s ambassador to the US has taken fire at Republican Senator Tom Cotton for embracing the conspiracy theory that the Wuhan coronavirus was created in a Chinese biological warfare lab.
“I think it’s true that a lot is still unknown and our scientists, Chinese scientists, American scientists, scientists of other countries, are doing their best to learn more about the virus, but it’s very harmful, it’s very dangerous, to stir up suspicion, rumors and spread them among the people,” Cui Tiankai said on Sunday when asked on Face the Nation about Cotton’s comments.
“For one thing, this will create panic,” he added. “Another thing is that it will fan up racial discrimination, xenophobia, all these things that will really harm our joint efforts to combat the virus.”

Cotton, a longtime China hawk with a strained relationship with the truth, has been raising a ruckus recently over the coronavirus, calling it “worse than Chernobyl” and demanding that the US enact a strict travel ban against China.
He has repeatedly accused the Chinese government of lying about the origins of the virus, speculating that it came not from a local wet market but from a nearby “super laboratory” that works with the world’s most dangerous pathogens.
There is no evidence for Cotton’s speculation which follows along with conspiracy theories that the coronavirus is the fault of a secret Chinese biowarfare program. Experts have dismissed fringe theories about the virus being manmade.
Though, lack of evidence hasn’t stopped Cotton from continuing to back the theory. Following, Cui’s interview, he tweeted out more nonsense:

Despite Cotton’s assertion of “Fact,” the Huanan Seafood Market continues to be where most believe the coronavirus originated, transmitted from animals to humans in an unregulated and unsanitary environment much like in the case of SARS — though which animal ultimately passed the virus to humans remains up for debate.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in his interview, Cui defended what happened to Li Wenliang, a doctor who was one of the first to sound warnings about the coronavirus only to be silenced and eventually die of the disease, by claiming that such a tragedy “could happen anywhere.”

We are all very saddened about the death of Dr. Li. He was a good doctor. He was a devoted doctor, and he did his best to protect people’s health. We are so grateful to him. I don’t know who tried to silence him, but there was certainly a disagreement or people were not able to reach agreement on what exactly the virus is, how it is affecting people.

Maybe some people reacted not quickly enough. Maybe Dr. Li, he perceived some incoming dangers earlier than others, but this could happen anywhere, but whenever we find there’s some shortcoming, we’ll do our best to correct it.

In the case, of missing citizen journalist Chen Qiushi, however, he didn’t even try to offer a defense.
“I have never heard of this guy, so I don’t have any information to share with you,” Cui responded when asked about Chen’s disappearance.

WATCH

 TRENDING NOW 

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Be a part of Shanghai's largest,
most vibrant network of foreigners & friends!
1. Add us on WeChat at helloshanghaiist
2. Text "Living in Shanghai"
3. Wait to be added to a WeChat group
4. Ask questions, seek recommendations
and connect with like-minded people.

BE SEEN BY SHANGHAIIST READERS

商务合作微信号 | theshanghaiist
[e-mail]