A number of American politicians have repeatedly pointed the finger at China since the COVID-19 outbreak around the world. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is one of the most vocal, and continues to use every opportunity to smear China over the COVID-19 pandemic.

In total disregard of the facts, he has criticized China for hiding information about COVID-19, accused it of making the virus, and also accused the World Health Organization (WHO) of being “China-centric”.

A closer look at the information on COVID-19 released by China, the US, the WHO, as well as other countries and regions shows that the Chinese government shared information at the earliest possible time with the WHO and other countries, including the US, since the onset of the pandemic. From Jan. 3 to Feb. 3, China notified the US of the disease and its control measures a total of 30 times, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Pompeo may accuse China of providing false information, but he cannot say that China did not notify the US as early as possible. If the U.S. believes that China's information is not true, it should come up with evidence of the "real picture" of China's epidemic situation, as well as the original records of China's briefing to the U.S. at the time, to prove its claim.

But the question is: Does Pompeo have the "real picture" of China's epidemic situation?

While Pompeo blames China for publicizing “false” information about COVID-19, he was unable to specify what kind of false information was being spread.

Pompeo has the right to not to believe the information provided by the Chinese government, but he cannot base his accusations on his personal assumptions. He also has the right to assume that China made the novel coronavirus, but until this is proven, it is only an assumption.

His groundless and irresponsible remarks that the virus originated from China totally go against science. Seeking the origin of the virus is a serious issue that calls for a science-based survey. Pompeo’s wanton accusations, which lack any credible evidence, have only damaged his country’s international reputation.

The White House even announced it was suspending funding to the WHO just as the world is at a critical point in the fight against the pandemic, and even threatened to freeze future US funding to the organization.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for unity over the pandemic in a recent statement. Pompeo’s remarks smearing China are really out of tune with this background of solidarity. As the US’ chief diplomat, it is his duty to strengthen international anti-pandemic cooperation, rather than stigmatize other countries and shifting the blame onto them.