As the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the nation, Countries are playing the blame game about where the virus originated.
According to the New York Times, government officials in China have taken offense to comments made by U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, claiming the country had a slow reaction to the virus.
O’Brien said that a possible delay in reaction to the virus from China, possibly put the world at risk, when countries could have been preparing for the outbreak sooner.
Following these remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian took to Twitter to address O’Brien’s comments.
“When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation!” Zhao wrote in English on his official verified Twitter account.
Fellow Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang also responded to O’Brien’s comments in a daily news briefing in Beijing after being asked about the remarks.
“We wish that a few officials in the U.S. would at this time concentrate their energy on responding to the virus and promoting cooperation, and not on shifting the blame to China,” he responded.
According to Shuang, China’s response to the virus gave the world time to begin preparing for the epidemic.
