Healthcare workers transport a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at Life Care Center of Kirkland on Saturday in Kirkland, Washington. Photo: AFP

Jesse Watters, co-host of The Five on FOX News, on Monday asked the Chinese government to apologize for the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, saying China is responsible for the epidemic. Some US politicians and elites have made similar ridiculous claims, either out of ignorance of the real situation or an attempt to shift people's focus as the US is ill-prepared to tackle the virus.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, the Chinese government, people, medical workers, and scientists have made tremendous contributions to the prevention and control of the epidemic. The virus is now a global battle. China has made resolute efforts to curb the spread of the virus by timely sharing data with the rest of the world, accelerating the development of vaccine and medicines. China is a main bastion in the fight against the deadly threat. 

When the epidemic first broke out in Wuhan, China took immediate and effective measures. But there remains uncertainty over where the epidemic actually started. Given the current situation, few Western societies have attached enough importance to the virus. As a result, many carriers of the virus don't even  know they are infected, or believe they only have the seasonal flu. 

After Watters said he expected "a formal apology," his co-host Dana Perino asked him, "What if the outbreak started here [in the US]?" Watters shunned the question, and shifted the topic to Chinese cuisine, stupidly saying that Chinese "are very hungry people" and that the Chinese government "cannot feed the people." 

His evasive and ridiculous retorts to the question show he is an ignoramus, who knows nothing about COVID-19 and Chinese cuisine.  

At the onset of the outbreak of the virus, some Western media outlets and politicians began attacking China's system of governance. These unhelpful and faulty remarks have continued even as China has made achievements in epidemic prevention and control. While the West appears clumsy in dealing with the disease, media pundit Watters has the temerity to ask China for "a formal apology." This is a manifestation of the West's unwillingness and lack of courage to face own failings. 

It is groundless to accuse China of being responsible for the epidemic. A great number of the confirmed cases in the US have no connection to China. The coronavirus could have been spreading across the US for weeks and the US government didn't even know it or ever think it was possible.

Watters' accusations, which came out of thin air, are a malicious attempt to use the epidemic to incite hatred toward China and Chinese people. His drivel is designed to deflect American thinking away from the US government's flawed attempt at epidemic prevention and control. 

As the coronavirus spreads around the world, there have been various insults, acts of discrimination and hatred against Chinese and Asians in the Western societies. According to a BBC report on Tuesday, a student from Singapore said he was beaten up by a group of men in London who told him: "I don't want your coronavirus in my country." 

In recent years, right-wing forces and racism have been on the rise, which turns out to be a tool for some Western media outlets in this regard. 

Most Western media outlets are run by capitalists who have complicated connections to political circles. Such being the case, when these media outlets try to use racist words to incite hatred and shift blame, it is quite clear why they are doing so and what they are up to.

The article was compiled by Global Times reporter Xu Hailin based on an interview with Zhu Wei, professor and communications researcher at China University of Political Science and Law. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn