China: US spreading fear over coronavirus outbreak instead of offering aid

China says the United States is spreading fear over the outbreak of coronavirus by pulling Americans out of the Asian country and enforcing travel restrictions instead of providing significant aid to Beijing in curbing the killer infection.

Washington has “unceasingly manufactured and spread panic” over the coronavirus outbreak, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying during a regular press conference on Monday, adding that the World Health Organization (WHO) had advised against trade and travel restrictions.

“It is precisely developed countries like the United States with strong epidemic prevention capabilities and facilities that have taken the lead in imposing excessive restrictions contrary to WHO recommendations,” she said, emphasizing that all countries should make reasonable, calm and science-based judgments.

The never-before-seen virus was first reported in December in a seafood and poultry market in Wuhan, with a population of 11 million people.

The infection began to spread quickly beyond the province and crossed China’s borders soon, with cases being detected in over two dozen other countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and several south Asian countries.

The killer virus has so far claimed the lives of 361 people in China, with 57 new fatalities on Sunday. The first death outside of mainland China has been confirmed in the Philippines.

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The number of people infected with the coronavirus has been reported to be over 17,000 in China. At least another 171 cases have been reported in more than two dozen other countries and regions.

Elsewhere in her remarks on Monday, Hua said, “So far, the US government has yet to provide any substantial assistance to China.”

Her comment sharply contrasted with those of President Donald Trump of the United States over the weekend where he said US officials had offered “tremendous help” in this regard.

The US was the first country that began pulling its nationals from China, issued a travel warning against going to the Asian country, and from Sunday barred entry to foreigners who had recently been there.

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Many countries, including Russia, Thailand, and Germany, report new cases of infection with the coronavirus.

No need for unnecessary measures: WHO

Earlier on Monday, WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there was no need for measures that “unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade” in trying to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent,” he told the WHO Executive Board, repeating his message from last week when he declared a global emergency.

“Because of this strategy and it weren't for China, the number of cases outside China would have been very much higher,” Ghebreyesus added.

The WHO chief further said that the spread of coronavirus abroad had been “minimal and slow”, while at the same time warning that it could worsen.

China’s delegate at the WHO Executive Board, Li Song, for his part, lambasted measures by “some countries” that have denied entry to individuals with passports issued in Hubei province - at the heart of the outbreak - and to deny visas and cancel flights.

“All these measures are seriously against recommendation by the WHO,” he added.

Less than six months before the 2020 Olympic Games due to open in Japan, the deadly epidemic in China sparked rumors that the games might be canceled or postponed.

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