Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

China on Tuesday refuted Western media reports claiming that China tries to distract public attention from the balloon incident by raising questions around US involvement in the Nord Stream blast and the chemical spill from the train derailment. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin asked on Tuesday why some self-labeled free and unbiased media became deaf to these incidents as they are endangering Americans’ lives.

The Ohio train derailment accident has stirred heated discussion on Chinese social media with many labeling it “a Chernobyl-level” catastrophe. Many netizens, when criticizing the US for not properly handling the disaster, also questioned if the US government is trying to deliberately withhold information, and hype the balloon incident to divert domestic media attention.

The Nord Stream gas pipelines are vital transnational infrastructure. The explosions have had a serious impact on the global energy market and ecological environment. If Seymour Hersh, a well-known US investigative journalist, is telling the truth about US involvement in the explosions, what he revealed is clearly unacceptable and must be answered for. The US owes the world a responsible explanation, Wang said. 

We wonder why there is little coverage by some media hailed as free, professional and impartial on the latest investigative report on the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines and the chemical leak caused by the train derailment in the US, Wang said.