Pompeo impedes attempts to prevent pandemic

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's latest accusation against China over the novel coronavirus epidemic shows the top US diplomat is willing to stoop to ever lower depths in his desire to smear China. The latest manifestation of his obsessive need to preen and bask in a display of self-righteousness is both ill-advised and counterproductive to efforts to harness global efforts to contain the deadly disease.

On Tuesday, he accused China and Iran of censoring information about the outbreaks of the virus and claimed they had put the rest of the world at greater risk of its spread. Many people, including his boss, disagree with his assessment.

Just two days before Pompeo's remarks, the US president praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for "doing a very good job" in response to the outbreak. In fact, any who are fair-minded would make the same judgment.

Since it became evident that they had an epidemic on their hands, the Chinese central authorities have been working with the international community in an open and highly responsible manner to keep them informed and up to date on the outbreak and the outcomes of the country's unprecedented efforts to contain it.

China shared the virus' genetic sequence and other relevant information with the World Health Organization and made it available to the world, a significant step for other countries and international organizations to carry out their own research for the development of treatments.

It updates the numbers of new confirmed cases, deaths and latest developments regarding the epidemic's prevention and treatment in China on a daily basis on both central and local government levels. It has facilitated a team of WHO specialists visiting several places in the country, including Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak in China.

China's measures to contain the spread of the virus on its soil, which have come at great cost to itself, have provided a window of opportunity for the world to prevent a global epidemic, as the WHO reiterated at the end of its fact-finding mission.

Pompeo's accusation against China does not hold water. Although he may be trying to divert attention from the US administration's response to the disease, which has come under fire at home, his attacks on China at such a time are at the very least unseemly and do a disservice to attempts to rally concerted efforts to prevent a pandemic.

As President Xi wrote in his letter of reply to Bill Gates, who had written to commend the Chinese government and people for their strong epidemic response, "to prevail over a disease that threatens all, unity and cooperation is the most powerful weapon".

It is those that are unwilling to acknowledge the virus is a common risk to all who are the most formidable peril in connection with the outbreak.