Memo reveals anti-Beijing strategy

US Senate Republicans' campaign arm urges candidates to attack China over COVID-19

"Don't defend Trump, other than the China Travel Ban-attack China." That is the advice in a detailed memo sent by United States political organization the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) to Republican campaigns. It urges candidates to address the COVID-19 pandemic by aggressively attacking China.

The 57-page strategy document, obtained by Politico on April 24, includes advice on everything from how to tie Democratic candidates to the Chinese government to how to deal with accusations of racism, according to a Politico report.

The memo is focused on three main lines of assault: That China caused the virus "by covering it up", that Democrats are "soft on China", and that Republicans will "push for sanctions on China for its role in spreading this pandemic", Politico summarized.

The memo also advises Republican candidates to blame the Chinese government when President Donald Trump is questioned over his handling of the pandemic and to reject claims that calling COVID-19 the "Chinese virus" is racist.

"The memo should be titled 'The Blame Game for Dummies'", a person called John Mac Cormack commented online.

"This is the Republican message? I guess that is all they have left. Cannot run on fiscal responsibility, cannot run on the economy, cannot run on healthcare, cannot run on jobs, cannot run on crisis management, so I guess this is it, blame China. Repubs always need a boogeyman.2016 was Mexico, now it's China in 2020," another online user, Patrick Lowry, wrote.

Republicans have indicated they plan to make China a centerpiece of the 2020 campaign, said the Politico report, noting the president's reelection campaign has weighed a major TV ad campaign focused on the topic.

The NRSC, which is the Senate Republican campaign arm, distributed the document but did not commission it, according to Politico. The memo was authored by the political consulting firm of Brett O'Donnell, a veteran Republican strategist who has advised Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton.

"What a playbook. Have a look!" Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying tweeted in response later on April 24.

"Why have some political forces in the US spared no effort in smearing and attacking China in the name of the pandemic? The answer is self-evident," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang at a press briefing on April 27.

Beijing opposes the efforts of some individuals in the United States to drag China into the US elections and play the China card to gain votes, Geng said, adding that China firmly opposes such moves as well as their attempts to harm China's interests.

The US repeatedly claims that China spreads disinformation, he said, adding that "if the report is true, I have to wonder who on earth is spreading false information".

US media, think tanks and experts have raised doubts on whether the US administration has hidden something and why it is hurriedly shifting the blame to others.

"We hope the US government will respond in a timely way to concerns from US people and the international community," Geng said.

Noting that Chinese and US people are victims of the pandemic, he said that only through solidarity and collaboration can the international community triumph over the disease.

China hopes the US will take effective measures to safeguard the security and health of its nationals in an open, transparent and responsible way, he said.

He added that China also hopes the US will work with the international community in jointly maintaining global public health security.

Xinhua contributed to the story.