China outraged after Trump calls coronavirus the “Chinese Virus”

As the United States struggles to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, President Donald Trump has decided to add a bit more racist hysteria to the whole ordeal.
On Monday evening, Trump tweeted out his support for various beleaguered sectors of the American economy while also pulling out his xenophobic dog whistle and directing it toward China.
“The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than ever before!” he wrote.

The labeling of viruses by location or ethnicity is condemned by most health experts around the globe for stigmatizing groups of people, leading only to racist associations and attacks.
Trump’s own CDC director has similarly rejected the practice, calling it “absolutely wrong and inappropriate” to use labels like “Chinese coronavirus.”International groups were quick to call out Trump for the tweet.

Beijing has also condemned Trump’s tweet, accusing the US president of “smearing” China.
“The U.S. should first take care of its own matters,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, adding that countries need to cooperate to help end this pandemic.
“We urge the US side to immediately correct its mistakes and stop making groundless accusations against China,” he continued.
Previously, China has clapped back at Republican Senator Tom Cotton for suggesting that the Covid-19 virus may have come from a Chinese biological weapons lab, as well as Fox News host Jesse Watters for calling on China to apologize for the outbreak.
“Did anyone ask the US to apologize for the 2009 H1N1 outbreak that has spread to 214 countries and regions and killed at least 18,449 people?” rhetorically asked spokesperson Zhao Lijian at the time.





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