Spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) criticised the US for “smearing and attacking China” on environmental issues, encouraging them to first reflect on their own record during his press conference in Beijing on Monday.
When probed on the USA’s recent questioning of China’s environmental protection measures, he responded:
“We should ask the United States why it withdrew from the Paris Agreement, if it did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol and when it could commit itself to carbon neutrality.” He further went on to claim that the USA “is the biggest destroyer of international environmental cooperation. The United States is the biggest threat to the global environment.” before encouraging them to engage in more “practical” measures.
Wenbin also commented on the COVID-19 epidemic: “the international community should unite and work together to fight” it, warning that “any move to use the virus to stigmatise and politicise the epidemic is extremely irresponsible to other countries.”
These comments come off the back of recent criticism from the US Embassy in Georgia on China’s environmental impact, pointing to a range of scientific studies as evidence. Remarks on fighting COVID-19 come after Trump last Tuesday told the UN to hold China accountable for the initial spread of the novel coronavirus through misinformation about how the virus is transmitted.
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