Screenshot for Mario Vargas Llosa on Sunday

Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa's "irresponsible" remarks made on Monday were not only criticized by China's foreign affairs ministry, but also became the target of infuriated Chinese netizens, with many showing their disappointment in the Nobel literature laureate on Chinese social media.

"I was so surprised that a writer with such a great honor would express such a shallow and racist opinion. The WHO has stated clearly that the source of the novel coronavirus cannot be determined at present. It seems that he has a deep misunderstanding of China. I have started to doubt his talent and morals," one Chinese netizen posted on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo. 

"It is a very arbitrary opinion to associate the virus with the system. In his opinion, a democratic system can do well, but look at the US and Europe. I do not think they are dealing with the situation as well as China is," one Chinese wrote on Sina Weibo.

Llosa won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010, and many of his works including The City and the Dogs, The Green House and Conversation in the Cathedral have been published in China. He has always been a controversial figure with actions such as marrying his aunt's sister and joining the Peru presidential election in 1990, according to reports.

"I think he is so arrogant to dare make such ridiculous remarks and try to steal the spotlight. The honors he has won before have been ruined by this remark," one Chinese commented on Sina Weibo.

The Global Times found on Tuesday that most of Losa's works have been removed from many Chinese e-commerce sites including Taobao, dangdang.com, JD.com and Amazon China, and only a few are still available on some private stores of JD.com and Taobao.

Álvaro Vargas Llosa, one of his sons, posted on Twitter on Monday night expressing his gratitude to the hospitality of the Chinese public and writers for offering a trip to China, but he did not apologize for his father's remarks.