Photo: Screenshot of Weibo video

Chinese netizens said US TV host Trevor Noah "revealed his true nature" on Tuesday for a recent comedic routine on China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe project, in which he said "this is pretty slick of China to do this now."

A segment on Noah's Daily Show on December 5, which was posted on China's Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo, included video of Chang'e 5 flying to the moon and drilling into the lunar soil. 

Noah firstly joked that "we haven't collected any moon rocks in 44 years but anyway, it will be nice to catch up with these moon rocks."

However, he later changed his joking attitude and said that "you gotta admit this is pretty slick of China to do this now, just when everyone discovered that they lied about their numbers and the extent of the outbreak in Wuhan."

The segment included a make-believe dialogue: "Excuse me, China. Did you lie and try to hide COVID when it started?" "Oh, I would love to answer your questions, but we have to get rocks on the moon."

"Also, I just want put it out there, but maybe this isn't the best time for humanity to be visiting the moon. I mean, I can't even travel to Vermont without a quarantine," he said ironically. "Maybe we shouldn't be sending humans to touch things in space. I don't want aliens coming down in two weeks like, what the hell, guys? You gave us COVID-19."

The video attracted widespread criticism among Chinese netizens on Sino Weibo. The topic #TrevorRevealedHisTrueNature has gained over 11 million clicks as of press time.

"I think he is trying to say that 'We are still living under the threat of the epidemic, so why are you able to go to the moon?'" said a Weibo user. "That's a typical double standard." 

"It's disappointing to hear Trevor say that," said a netizen under the name Lovely_Y_. "But I still want to thank him for the entertainment he brought us during the past year."

"He's an American, so we shouldn't expect he speaks for China," said another Weibo user. "It's not necessary to treat it that seriously." 

Noah is a South African comedian, writer, producer, political commentator and TV host who moved to the US in 2011. In 2015, he took over the American late-night political show "The Daily Show," which was launched in 1996. The host once gained a wave of goodwill and fans among Chinese netizens because of his sharp criticism of the Trump administration. 

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe's ascender successfully docked with the orbital module in lunar orbit 5:42 am on Sunday, and completed lunar soil sample transfer at 6:12 am from the ascender to the return capsule.