An ambulance sits outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, Monday. Photo: AFP

According to a recent survey from polling company Rasmussen Reports, 42 percent of US voters think China should cover some of the financial expenses incurred by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Meanwhile, 36 percent disagreed, while another 22 percent said they were undecided. 

Does the US have a score to settle with China? Then we might as well do it. Let's go back to the 2009 H1N1 outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control admitted that H1N1 was first discovered in the US in April 2009, but it took six months for them to declare it a national emergency. 

According to data from the World Health Organization, the virus killed over 18,000 people around the world by July 2010 and caused significant damage to the world economy. China, as well as the rest of the world, should settled this score with the US for its incompetence in dealing with H1N1. 

Why haven't we asked the US to cover the expenses of the global spread of H1N1? Because the Chinese, along with most people in other countries, are reasonable. We know better than to settle a score this way. Besides, this is simply venting frustration, which would be ridiculous. 

But some in the US feel otherwise. They have forgotten the slow response from the US during H1N1, and now they are blaming China. Perhaps they have become accustomed to hegemony and believe they can extort money worldwide like a hooligan?

Carefully read the survey's question: "Should China help pay at least some of the financial costs that have resulted from the global transmission of the coronavirus which originated in a Chinese city?"

This question is obviously biased. Terms such as "at least some of the financial costs" and "originated in a Chinese city" sound like "please vote yes." If the question itself is unscientific and subjective, then whatever the result is, it is meaningless.

How could Rasmussen Reports conduct such a survey before scientists find out the origin of COVID-19? Is the survey politically motivated to raise the issue in such a hurry?

The Chinese have made great efforts to control new domestic COVDI-19 cases on the mainland, but the US has been hyping anti-China sentiment, passing the buck to China and asking China to pay the cost. 

While China has demonstrated how serious the situation is, US President Donald Trump had said the coronavirus was just like a seasonal flu and would disappear. Some US experts are suggesting that healthy people do not need to wear face masks. The US should be ashamed for failing to contain the virus and allowing it to further spread. 

China does not owe the US anything. The US, however, owes too much to the world. In addition to H1N1, the US has provoked wars worldwide, leading to catastrophe and creating huge number of refugees. It is the US that should have paid for those evil behaviors.