Capitol Hill is seen in Washington D.C., the US, on Jan. 24, 2019. Photo: Xinhua

The US has had the goal of "flattening the curve" for more than a month, yet the COVID-19 outbreak has not been curbed but escalated instead. Such being the case, the White House, controlled by Republicans, which may be deeply aware of its inability but doesn't focus on containing the virus, has been engaging in a show of 1,000 ways to slander China so as to shift pressure and deceive Americans. 

To strip China of its sovereign immunity is the brand-new episode of this farce. 

Republican lawmakers have invested most of their efforts in ducking responsibility for the pandemic, leaving the US in dire situation: More than 939,000 Americans have been infected with nearly 54,000 coronavirus deaths as of press time, and the numbers are growing. 

Republicans will not stop attacking China over COVID-19 as they see it as a life-saving straw, especially facing a fierce election campaign. But by threatening to remove China's immunity, the Republicans have gone too far, aiming to shake the entire international order, a move that will lead to consequences the US cannot withstand - no matter how strong Republicans believe their country is. 

"Based on the principle of sovereign equality prescribed by international law, US courts have no jurisdiction over the sovereign actions taken by Chinese governments of all levels in response to the epidemic," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Wednesday. But some Republicans intend to resort to US hegemony and accomplish an impossible mission in violation of international law. 

It is shocking to see such naïve and absurd attempts to overturn basic international norms and it is even more pathetic to see some Americans support such an attempt. They must have lost their minds and want to push the US into the abyss. 

Some Chinese analysts assert that to the US, the COVID-19 pandemic was actually "a black elephant" - a cross between "a black swan" and the "elephant in the room." What Republican politicians have done and been up to will only further harm the US. Even though they know the US government is likely to regret it later if the US Congress removes China's immunity in the heat of an election year, they will not stop lawsuits against China, and the White House stands behind them. 

The right course of action for the US side is to dismiss this abusive lawsuit. Even US professors consider the proposals by Republican lawmakers to remove China's immunity to be a total nightmare. But those lawmakers won't stop focusing on wrong concerns while ignoring what is really urgent for them and for the US. Are they still living in a fantasy where the US can provoke other countries and then escape unscathed? They really should wake up. 

Most people with a sober mind will see through political temptation of Republicans' moves against China in this election year. The US government has stigmatized its reputation internationally due to its handling of COVID-19. In the meantime, some Republican lawmakers have targeted legal obstacles to their pursuit of personal interests. Is there anything they dare not do?

The US government has become infamous for repeatedly ducking responsibility on China over its own failings. If the US triggers a domino effect by stripping China of its sovereign immunity, it will probably be disdained by all other countries.