A seafood vendor solicits customers in Beijing's Sanyuanli Market in February. Photo: Li Hao/GT

China firmly opposes The COVID-19 Accountability Act endorsed by various US senators, which is totally ignorant of the facts and an attempt to shift the blame of US' incompetency in handling the pandemic to China, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. 

US Republican senators proposed the act on Tuesday, which would empower US President Donald Trump to impose far-reaching sanctions on China if the latter fails to give a full account of the coronavirus outbreak, according to media reports. 

The move, which is kind of presumption of guilt, is not only irresponsible but immoral, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday at a routine press conference when quizzed on a response regarding the act.

China has maintained an open and transparent attitude throughout the pandemic, closely communicating with and supporting the World Health Organization to carry out global anti-pandemic work, which is all witnessed by the international community, Zhao said, noting that China also agrees that a review should be undertaken into different countries' epidemics at a proper time to promote global cooperation and improve global public health governance. 

According to a Reuters report on Wednesday, the act would require the US President to make a certification to Congress within 60 days that China had provided a full and complete account to any COVID-19 investigation led by the US. It would also require certification that China had closed all "wet markets" that could potentially expose humans to health risks.

Zhao stressed that China has already fully banned illegal hunting, trade, transportation and consumption of wild animals and there are no so-called wildlife wet markets in the country. 

The markets Chinese people usually talk about are farmers and seafood markets that commonly exist in many other countries and never have been limited in the international community, he said. 

Zhao referred to an internal US National Republican Senatorial Committee 57-page memo revealed by US media that plots a political farce called the "Attack China" campaign for the November election.

The scapegoating plot the US has been trying to direct is seriously spoiled, there is no point in carrying it on. "We suggest certain US politicians not go too deep into the drama and refocus their attention to safeguarding US people's lives, security and make more of a contribution to global anti-pandemic cooperation," Zhao said. 

Global Times