Certain US lawmakers’ “pathological hatred” toward China has prompted them to stigmatize seasonal respiratory disease outbreaks in China, according to experts on Sunday. This follows a letter from five US senators, led by Marco Rubio, urging President Joe Biden to impose travel restrictions between China and the US. Experts dismiss the partisan-driven claims, stating they will not significantly influence government decision-making.
In their letter on Friday, the Republican senators called for travel restrictions, citing a “mysterious respiratory illness” spreading in China. They urged precautionary measures until more information is available about the potential new pathogen. The senators also praised former President Donald Trump’s decision to restrict travel from China in early 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu rejected the claims, stating that they are “purely ill-intentioned fabrications.” Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, called the senators’ statements “foolish and shameless,” highlighting their longstanding efforts to speak negatively about China.
China has maintained transparent communication with the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding respiratory diseases. On Friday, Chinese health authorities and the WHO held a teleconference, providing updates on national monitoring and clinical diagnosis. Technical exchanges focused on pathogen monitoring and mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, with intentions to continue communication.
Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, noted the political motivations behind the senators’ remarks, suggesting domestic considerations. Lü warned that such negative rhetoric, if amplified by the media, could distort public perception of China, potentially harming grassroots China-US relations. However, he believes these statements are unlikely to significantly influence US government decisions in the current overall framework of China-US relations.
Chinese health officials reiterated on Saturday that prevalent respiratory diseases in China are caused by known pathogens, with no new infectious diseases identified. They assured the availability of mature treatment methods for these diseases. Lü emphasized that China remains vigilant and will take any potential epidemic seriously, while close cooperation with the WHO continues.
“In the current framework of China-US relations, facts will overcome the misleading statements spread by these lawmakers,” Lü concluded.