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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin on US Leader's UNGA Remarks about China
2020-09-23 16:30

Regrettably, the US disregarded facts and fabricated lies. And driven by shady political motives, it used the UN podium to level unfounded accusations against China. China firmly opposes to these smears. Such acts have again shown that unilateralism and bullying are the biggest threat to the world.

Lies can in no way masquerade as truth. The world is fully aware of China's record in containing COVID-19, and the people have their fair judgment.

The coronavirus is the common enemy of humankind. China is a victim of the virus and made its contribution to the global fight against the virus.

China reported the epidemic, identified the pathogen and shared its genome sequence with the world all at the earliest time possible.

When human-to-human transmission was confirmed, China immediately made the resolute decision to shut all exit routes from Wuhan. The most stringent closure and traffic control were imposed on the exit routes from Wuhan and Hubei Province.

China's customs authorities promptly halted, in accordance with law, overseas travels by Chinese people under four categories, namely confirmed cases, suspected cases, close contacts with the former two and people with fevers.

When China closed the exit channels from Wuhan on January 23, only nine confirmed cases were identified outside China, of which only one was in the US.

On January 31, the US suspended direct flights with China. And when the US closed its borders to all Chinese citizens on February 2, only a dozen of confirmed cases were reported in the US.

China's epidemic response has been open and transparent every step of the way. The time line is clear, and the facts and data speak for themselves.

In repeatedly smearing China on COVID-19-related issues, the US is attempting to shift the blame for its bad handling of the virus onto others. This is totally futile.

The US also arbitrarily attacked and pulled out of WHO. This has put global anti-epidemic cooperation in jeopardy, which will bring harm to people in the world and incur a heavy cost for the American people.

What the US needs to do now is stop the political manipulation, stop labeling or politicizing the virus, and join the rest of the international community in this common fight, rather than scapegoat or smear others.

On climate change and environmental protection, the facts are also clear. China has actively fulfilled the international responsibilities consistent with its stage of development and national conditions, and carried out a host of policies and actions. The outcomes achieved are widely recognized.

We attained our 2020 climate action targets ahead of schedule, a major contribution to the global response to climate change.

Non-fossil fuel now takes up nearly 15 percent in China's total energy consumption. China has 30 percent of the world's installed capacity of renewable energy, accounting for 44 percent of the world increase. Its new energy vehicle stock is more than half the world's total.

China has contributed 25 percent to the increased afforestation areas worldwide since 2000.

China will update and enhance its nationally determined contribution targets, and introduce stronger policies and measures. We will strive for the peaking of CO2 emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. Such objectives are consistent with China's vision of a vibrant, clean and beautiful world through joint efforts and its commitment to fostering a community with a shared future for humankind.

China takes an active part in global climate governance. China is one of the first signatories of the UNFCCC and has contributed significantly to the conclusion of the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement and related implementation guidelines.

Thanks to the concerted efforts by China and other parties, the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid produced a string of decisions that reaffirmed the commitment to multilateralism and the consensus among all parties on climate governance, laying the groundwork for follow-up negotiations.

In contrast, the United States, as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases in cumulative terms, not only failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, but also pulled out of the Paris Agreement. It has rejected binding quantified emissions reduction targets for itself and refused to take even the minimum steps to protect the planet.

By doing so, the US has completely disassociated itself from the global carbon emissions system and arrangements, and seriously held back such global processes as emissions reduction and green and low-carbon development.

The United States is the world's largest exporter of solid waste and a major consumer of plastics per capita. However, it has refused to ratify the Basel Convention and has set obstacles for the global governance process on plastic waste. It has even shipped a huge amount of waste to developing countries, doing enormous harm to the local and global environment. How is such a country in any position to blame China?

We urge the US to stop playing political games, abandon unilateralism, and live up to its due responsibility to the world.

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