China’s ambassador to the US reaffirmed his opposition to promoting theories that the virus that causes COVID-19 originated in a US military lab, in an unusual break with the country’s foreign ministry.
Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai (崔天凱) said in an interview with Axios on HBO that he stood by his Feb. 9 statement that it would be “crazy” to spread such theories.
Since his original remarks, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly posted statements speculating about a possible US origin for the virus, which was first detected in Wuhan.
Photo: Reuters
“Such speculation will help nobody. It’s very harmful,” Cui said in the interview that aired on Sunday. “Eventually, we must have an answer to where the virus originally came from. But, this is the job for the scientists to do, not for diplomats.”
Cui’s comments represent a sharp public rebuke to ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅), who has publicly questioned whether the virus originated in China and even touted the idea that it may have been introduced by US Army athletes.
Such public differences are rare among Chinese officials who are famous for their ability to stick closely to the Chinese Communist Party’s official line.
Cui is appointed directly by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and holds a vice-ministerial rank in China’s political hierarchy. That makes him two levels senior to Zhao, whose official title is deputy director of the foreign ministry’s Information Department.
Zhao continued to promote the theory on Sunday, retweeting speculation from a Twitter user who goes by the name “the lizard king” that COVID-19 has been around in the US “for a while.”
The user is described as a “fl transplant to the desert,” a “mama” and “not an expert.”
Zhao’s statements have been echoed in official state media in recent days and have provoked anger in Washington.
US President Donald Trump has taken to calling the pathogen the “Chinese virus” and has blamed the US’s outbreak on China’s early failures to control the disease.
Asked by Axios about Zhao’s comments, Cui referred the question back to Zhao and his authority as ambassador to speak on behalf of the Chinese government.
“Maybe you could go and ask him,” Cui said. “I’m here representing my head of the state and my government.”
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was