US move to raise travel warning ‘too unkind’: China

The US State Department on Friday raised the warning alert to the same level as Afghanistan and Iraq despite the World Health Organization (WHO)’s measure not to recommended travel curbs on China.

“The United States acted in a diametrically opposite way right after the World Health Organization’s declaration to oppose any move to close borders with China or restrict Chinese travelers’ access, which is too unkind and has set a very bad example,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Saturday. 

“A friend in need is a friend indeed. Many countries are helping China fight with the contagion through different means. In contrast, the words and deeds of the US are neither in line with the facts nor even appropriate,” she added.

The virus has so far killed 213 people and spread to at least 18 countries around the world, with the number of confirmed coronavirus cases standing at 9,809.

Hua also blasted US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross after he suggested that the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China could be positive for the American economy and help “accelerate the return of jobs” to the US.

Wilbur Ross roasted for comments on US benefits from CoronavirusUS Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has faced harsh criticism after he suggested that the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China could be positive for the American economy.

Hua said China was sharing data and information about the deadly coronavirus with the international community, including the US, in a “transparent, responsible, and timely manner.”

Economists believe that the deadly virus could have a bigger impact on the global economy than the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2002 and 2003. SARS infected over 8,000 people, causing more than 700 deaths and is estimated to have cost the world economy more than 30 billion dollars.

The coronavirus has forced global companies including tech giants, car makers and retailers to temporarily shut down in China as authorities extended the Lunar New Year holiday and imposed major travel restrictions across the vast Asian country.