Doctors check the information of patients in Leishenshan Hospital of Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Photo: cnsphotos

The Chinese Foreign Ministry slammed some media outlets on Wednesday for claiming the novel coronavirus is the "China virus," saying such media have ulterior motives and want China to take the blame. 

Some media outlets have called the novel coronavirus a "China virus," which is highly irresponsible. We are firmly opposed to this, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at Wednesday's media briefing. 

No conclusion has yet been reached on the origin of the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly said that the coronavirus is a global phenomenon with an uncertain source, and we should focus on how to curb the virus and avoid stigmatizing names, Zhao said. 

The WHO named the novel coronavirus pneumonia "COVID-19" because it is not associated with any region or country, Zhao said. 

Zhong Nanshan, one of China's leading respiratory experts, has said that the outbreak first appeared in China, but not necessarily originated from China.

We need to jointly oppose the virus of information and virus of politics, Zhao said. Some media outlets without facts claimed the novel coronavirus is a China virus, which is aimed at letting China take the blame and shows their ulterior motives, he said. 

COVID-19 is the challenge faced by all countries, and the international community should work together to deal with the coronavirus and resist rumors and prejudice, said the spokesperson. 

Global Times