Rumor No.9: Chinese prevented Taiwan from being a member of the WHO, which endangered the health of the people in Taiwan.

Facts: Taiwan, as a part of China, has no right to join the WHO, which is only meant for sovereign states. However, technological cooperation between Taiwan and the WHO is fully supported.

As agreed by the Chinese government and the WHO, Taiwan has established an office under the International Health Regulations and is able to access information on public health emergencies issued by the organization.

From the beginning of 2019 to March 2020, a total of 24 Taiwan experts have taken part in the 16 sessions of technological meetings held by the WHO.

By April 13, the mainland had shared epidemic information with Taiwan 127 times, and in January, helped Taiwan experts to conduct investigations in Wuhan to learn about treatment methods.

Taiwan reported 426 confirmed cases and six deaths by April 23.

Rumor No.10: Taiwan warned the WHO about how the novel coronavirus can be transmitted between humans on Dec. 31, 2019, but the WHO didn’t take it seriously.

Facts: Taiwan didn’t warn the WHO and simply asked the organization for information.

On Dec. 31, 2019, after Wuhan announced the pneumonia pandemic, Taiwan’s health department asked the National Health Commission about it and received a written reply.

Later on that day, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control sent an e-mail to the WHO requesting more information. The e-mail merely cited information from the mainland, but didn’t mention anything about transmission between humans.

The WHO has clarified repeatedly that Taiwan did not give any warning and merely asked for information.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/media-resources/press-briefings

Taiwan reported its first confirmed case on Jan. 21 and didn’t have information about clinical cases until then, let alone conclude that the virus could be transmitted between humans.

Rumor No.11: China is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic and must compensate the world.

Facts: Viruses are the common enemy of mankind, and China, like any other country, is a victim. There is no legal basis for demanding "compensation" from China.

Under International Law, a state is accused of "state responsibility" for a particular damage if it has committed an "internationally wrongful act", that is, an act that violates its international obligations. In this fight against the epidemic, China has taken timely and effective measures to fulfill its international obligations (see "Rumor No.5").

https://www.justsecurity.org/69394/covid-19-and-international-law-must-china-compensate-countries-for-the-damage-international-health-regulations/

The WHO announced on Jan. 30 that the novel coronavirus epidemic was a "public health emergency of international concern” one month after China first notified it of the epidemic, which fully shows that China did not delay in fulfilling its reporting obligations.

Rumor No.12: China is helping other countries fight the epidemic only to expand its geopolitical influence.

Facts: China helps other countries out of a sense of humanitarianism and gratitude, and also because it has accumulated useful experience in fighting the epidemic.

 The virus knows no national boundaries and does not differentiate between skin color or language. China helps other countries in the fight against the epidemic not only in the spirit of international humanitarianism, but also in the firm belief of a community with a shared future for mankind.

 China's help to other countries is also a manifestation of the Chinese nation's tradition of gratitude. At the end of January and the beginning of February this year, when China was at the height of the epidemic, many countries around the world, including Germany, gave China selfless assistance. The Chinese merely want to "return the favor".

China has accumulated useful experience in the course of its fight against the epidemic. After two months of strict prevention and control measures, the epidemic in China has basically been brought under control.

Rumor No.13: All medical products imported from China are fake or shoddy.

Facts: China conducts strict quality testing of its exported medical products. Some of the problems stem from improper use or differences in Chinese and foreign standards.

On April 2, the Chinese government issued a policy to strengthen quality control over the export of medical goods. Such goods are required not only to obtain the relevant qualifications from the national medical products regulatory authority, but also to meet the quality requirements of the importing country.

Media hype over the quality defects of Chinese medical products has been found to be mainly due to different standards in China and Europe. In addition, there are also some institutions that do not strictly abide by the rules for the use of articles and other factors.

Rumor No.14: China is using the novel coronavirus to paralyze the Western economy.

Facts: China's economy is closely linked to the world economy. Only when the world economy is running well can China's economy flourish.

China's economy has been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, shrinking 6.8 percent in January-March of this year from the previous year, the lowest since China began collecting quarterly GDP data in 1992.

Since China's accession to the WTO in 2001, China's economy has become more and more closely integrated with the world economy. Last year, China’s total foreign trade volume reached 31.5 trillion yuan ($4.6 trillion), of which exports made up 17.2 trillion yuan, accounting for about 18 percent of total economic output. China and the world are interdependent, and the rapid recovery and steady growth of the world economy is in China's interests.

Rumor No.15: China has reopened its wildlife markets.

Facts: There are no so-called "wildlife markets" in China, and the country has put a comprehensive ban on the illegal activities of hunting, trading, transportation and consumption of wild animals.

On Feb. 24, the 16th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress adopted the Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress to Comprehensively Prohibit the Illegal Trade of Wild Animals, Break the Bad Habit of Excessive Consumption of Wild Animals, and Effectively Secure the Life and Health of the People. The WWF expressed its appreciation over the decision.

https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/wwf-statement-on-china-s-revision-of-the-wildlife-protection-law

 Wuhan has reopened its traditional farmers' markets, selling fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood and meat, and are strictly abiding by the relevant hygiene regulations, which is no different from European fish markets and fruit and vegetable markets.

Rumor No.16: Chinese people eat bat soup, which is why they caught the novel coronavirus.

Facts: Bats are not Chinese food, and there is no conclusive evidence that the novel coronavirus originated from bats.

The claim that Chinese people all drink bat soup is as absurd as claiming that all Germans eat sow's stomach. Bats have never been a source of food for the Chinese.

https://correctiv.org/faktencheck/medizin-und-gesundheit/2020/01/28/keine-belege-dass-ein-markt-mit-exotischen-tieren-in-wuhan-der-ursprung-des-neuen-coronavirus-war

A video of a Chinese person eating bat soup went viral online following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. The truth is that the video was originally filmed in 2016, and shows popular blogger and travel show host Mengyun Wang during a trip to Palau, an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean. 

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/food-warnings/chinese-influencer-wang-mengyun-aka-bat-soup-girl-breaks-silence/news-story/63ef0cec5b6d448d1843e2e1bcadb14d