Page 17 - HOH

A28 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 25 april 2020
China’s diplomats show teeth in defending virus response

By DAKE KANG Western criticism, accused
Associated Press French nursing home work-
BEIJING (AP) — From Asia ers of deserting and "letting
to Africa, London to Berlin, their residents die from star-
Chinese envoys have set vation and disease."
off diplomatic firestorms The U.S. protested after
with a combative defense Zhao tweeted unsubstan-
whenever their country tiated speculation that
is accused of not acting the American military may
quickly enough to stem the have brought the virus to
spread of the coronavirus China.
pandemic. China's envoys in Nige-
They belong to a new gen- ria, Ghana and Uganda
eration of "Wolf Warrior" have been berated over
diplomats, named after reports of virus-related ha-
patriotic blockbuster films rassment of Africans in the
starring a muscle-bound city of Guangzhou, a rare
Chinese commando killing public rebuke of Beijing by
American bad guys in Afri- African nations. The Chi-
ca and Southeast Asia with nese Embassy in Zimbabwe
his bare hands. waved away the anger,
The tougher approach has tweeting dismissively about
been building for several In this file photo taken Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, Chinese Foreign Ministry new spokesman Zhao "so-called racial discrimi-
years under President Xi Jin- Lijian gestures as he speaks during a daily briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing. nation." French President
ping, who has effectively Associated Press. Emmanuel Macron has
jettisoned former leader ing to go toe-to-toe with said Shi Yinhong, professor preference for 'wolf-war- questioned China's virus re-
Deng Xiaoping's approach a heavyweight China. A of International Studies at rior' diplomats, said Carl sponse, telling the Financial
of hiding China's ambi- commentary on the em- Renmin University. "Chinese Minzner, an expert on Chi- Times that "there are clearly
tions and biding its time. His bassy website last month leaders may think if China nese politics at Fordham things that have happened
government has urged its assailed a Swedish reporter doesn't fight back, it will Law School in New York that we don't know about."
diplomats to pursue "ma- for an article on the impact hurt China even more." City. Britain's top diplomat said it
jor-country diplomacy with of China's one-party po- Chinese diplomats are in- These new-style diplo- couldn't go back to "busi-
Chinese characteristics" — litical system on its virus re- creasingly taking to Twit- mats are "reading the tea ness as usual" with China.
a call for China to reassert sponse. ter and Facebook — plat- leaves, and are using bom- China's Embassy in Berlin
its historic status as a global "Using this epidemic for forms that are blocked in bastic language overseas posted an open letter to
power. political purposes, waging their own country. They're as a tool to garner atten- Bild that accused the mass-
"The days when China can ideological attacks and following in the footsteps tion from nationalistic au- circulation tabloid of "bad
be put in a submissive po- spreading lies in the name of Zhao Lijian, a pioneer- diences at home — both taste" for blaming the pan-
sition are long gone," said of 'freedom of speech' will ing firebrand whose tweets among the party elite and demic on China and cal-
an editorial in the Global only lead to self-sabotage. while stationed in Pakistan among society at large — culating how much it owes
Times, a state-run newspa- It's like lifting a rock and attracted a huge following regardless of the impact Germany in damages for
per known for its outspoken dropping it on your own and also led America's for- on China's image abroad," failing to contain it. The
views. The Chinese people, toes," it said. mer U.N. Ambassador Su- Minzner said. embassy in Spain tweeted
it said, "are no longer satis- Experts say Beijing sees crit- san Rice to call him a "rac- Overseas, the newly strident "Freedom of expression
fied with a flaccid diplo- ics as assailing not just its ist disgrace" who should be tone has been less appre- has limits," in response to
matic tone." actions, but also its leader- dismissed. ciated. The French foreign a far-right politician who
Ambassador Gui Congyou ship and right to rule. Instead, China promoted minister summoned the posted a video about
has belittled journalists in "If anyone tries to attack him — to foreign ministry Chinese ambassador af- "Spanish antibodies fight-
Sweden, comparing them China on this issue, China spokesman. ter an embassy statement, ing the damned Chinese
to a lightweight boxer seek- will resolutely fight back," Xi has clearly indicated a in apparent response to viruses."q

Minister: COVID-19 outbreak in Istanbul now under control

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's through contact tracing tally, due in part to limited
health minister has com- executed by a team of ex- testing and difficulties in
pared the city of Istanbul perts, and early treatment. counting the dead in the
to Wuhan — the Chinese "They followed trails like midst of a crisis. More than
city where the novel coro- medical detectives," he 830,000 people have been
navirus first emerged — as said and argued it would tested for COVID-19 in Tur-
the epicenter of infections have been difficult to con- key, which has a popu-
in the country, adding that tain the virus otherwise. lation of 83 million, and
the epidemic is now under The country ranks seventh 21,737 have recovered.
control there. in the world in the number The highest number of cas-
"Turkey's Wuhan was Is- of confirmed infections, es is in Istanbul, the health
tanbul," Fahrettin Koca surpassing Iran and China, minister said earlier in April.
told the pro-government according to Johns Hop- Istanbul is Turkey's largest
Sabah newspaper in an kins University. city with over 15 million res-
interview published Friday. Experts say the true toll idents and is in the second
A Turkish flag suspended between two skyscrapers flutters in Koca claimed the spread of the pandemic around day of a four-day lock-
the wind, in Istanbul, Thursday, April 23, 2020. of COVID-19 in Istanbul the world is much higher down along with 30 other
Associated Press. was brought under control than the Johns Hopkins provinces. q