​ So what’: China’s virus dig at US ​

A Chinese news agency has released a scathing attack on the US response to the coronavirus pandemic, accusing the country of being arrogant and contradictory.

The “Once Upon a Virus” video from Xinhua News Agency, run by the Chinese Communist Party, claims the US consistently ignored China’s open communication about coronavirus from December through to now.

The video says the US from early on dismissed the virus as being “only a flu” and more recently began accusing China of concealing information about how dangerous the virus is, while continuing to insist the virus is not dangerous.

“Gosh! Just listen to yourself,” a group of Chinese doctor figures tut-tut to a Lego man who is dressed as Lady Liberty, who insists, “We are correct, even when we contradict ourselves.”

The video has been viewed more than a million times.

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China: We discovered a new virus.
America: So what?

China: It's Dangerous
America: It's only a Flu

China: Wear a Mask
America: Don't wear a Mask
... pic.twitter.com/Qxugv8z73J

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) April 30, 2020

The video goes on to say China urged its citizens to “wear a mask” while the US encouraged people not to, and told people the stay at home orders in China were “violating human rights”.

It continues to assert the temporary hospitals constructed in 10 days in Wuhan were called “concentration camps” in the US media, and deaths recorded at the beginning at the pandemic were called “typical third world”.

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The US and China were locked in a trade war before the beginning of the outbreak of coronavirus before US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a trade deal in January.

Since then, relations between the two countries have deteriorated over the course of the pandemic.

Mr Trump was criticised for announcing a travel ban on incoming flights from China in January as cases of coronavirus began to spread around the world – including criticism that came from the World Health Organisation (WHO). But Mr Trump has stood by his decision saying it saved lives in the US.

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Mr Trump later directed his organisation to temporarily halt WHO funding pending a review. The US leader accused the global health authority of “severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus”.

In February, China announced it would revoke the citizenship of 13 different journalists who worked for major publications The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

“They will not be allowed to continue working as journalists in the People’s Republic of China, including its Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions,” an announcement from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The Ministry said it was acting “in the spirit of reciprocity” after the US had designated five Chinese media agencies in the US as “foreign missions”.