U.S. President Donald Trump said at a recent press conference that the “incompetence” of the Chinese government has caused suffering around the world. Why, he asked, does China not allow people infected in Wuhan to travel to other parts of the country, while allowing them to travel freely around the world, including the U.S. and Europe?

What Trump said is both fabricated and misleading. In a league of his own in terms of smearing other countries, Trump’s ability to lie is on a par with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s.

Trump’s accusation that China left infected people in Wuhan able to “travel freely” has no regard for the documented facts and timeline of China and the whole world’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic, which has been made public to the world.

After China locked down Wuhan on Jan. 23, no commercial flights or trains left the city from Jan. 24 to April 8. Three major U.S. airlines announced the suspension of direct flights between China and the U.S. on Jan.31, and on Feb. 2 the U.S. government banned the entry of Chinese citizens and foreigners who had visited China in the past 14 days. With a look at the regulations and restrictions set in place, it’s not difficult to see the accusations made by Trump are fabricated.

The allegation that China “caused suffering around the world” further unveils Trump and his associates game of passing the buck to China, politicizing the pandemic and stigmatizing China over the past few months.

Tracing the origin of COVID-19 is a serious scientific issue that needs to be studied by scientists around the world with a science-based, impartial and open approach. It should not be manipulated by a few politicians for political purposes, as it has been proved that politicization of the virus has indeed caused suffering around the world.

In past months, scientists and research institutions around the world, including those in the U.S. and Europe, have published numerous studies demonstrating that tracing the origin of COVID-19 is complex.

Epidemic statistics in several major Canadian provinces indicate that the virus was introduced into Canada by American travelers. A study by the Pasteur Institute in France found that the source of the viral strain circulating locally in France is unknown. While none of the imported cases found in Russia came from China, the Australian Department of Health noted that only a very small portion of imported cases came from Northeast Asia. These facts seem to have given politicians with ill intentions a slap in the face.

Between China and the U.S., it’s crystal clear who is incompetent. China mobilized nationwide efforts, accomplished major achievements in pandemic response in a relatively short period of time, and ensured the health and safety of 1.4 billion Chinese people. China’s outcome in the battle against COVID-19 is a miracle.

The Chinese government has saved lives and cured patients at all costs, including those aged above 80. China has also created the prevention and control model of early identification, early reporting, preventive quarantine and treatment to curb the spread of the disease. According to a study in the journal Science, the measures taken by China have reduced the number of infected people in the country by more than 700,000.

In stark contrast, the U.S. failed to take effective measures to contain the virus. According to a report on the New York Times website on May 20, the delay of government measures on social distancing has cost at least 36,000 lives in the U.S. If the U.S. had begun imposing social distancing measures one week earlier than it did in March, about 36,000 fewer people would have died in the coronavirus outbreak. If the country had implemented such measures two weeks earlier, about 83 percent of the nation’s deaths would have been avoided.

It begs the questions: what did Trump and his associates do during the two-month delay? Should they be held accountable?

Facts speak louder than words, and no lie can conceal the truth. The purpose of U.S. politicians’ accusations against China under the excuse of COVID-19 is not only meant to shift blame to China, but to demonize, create hostility towards and hem in China to contain the country’s progress. Even though these vicious intentions are doomed to fail, the continuation of relentless attacks must be condemned.