Commentary: The distorted Western narrative on China's epidemic response

BEIJING, March 23 (Xinhua) -- China has pulled through the COVID-19 epidemic and people's lives have returned to normal, but several U.S. media outlets and politicians have renewed their old rhetoric to distort the narrative on the country's anti-epidemic policy change.

According to their latest accounts, China's COVID-19 policy change was ill-prepared, while a "lab leak" in China may be the origin of the coronavirus. Rather farcically, the United States is attempting to hold China accountable for U.S.'s own failures.

How inconsistent with the truth! All this unified narration on China's anti-epidemic battle disregards the facts and calls white black. Such reports are utterly untenable and irresponsible.

These stories fail to observe China in a global context. The truth is self-evident if we look at what has happened in the United States and China.

Since 2020, the total number of COVID-19-related deaths has exceeded 1.1 million in the United States, with a population of about 333 million. In contrast, the figure is about 88,000 on the Chinese mainland, which has a population of 1.41 billion, according to calculations based on official data.

If the U.S. media and politicians really care about people's lives, they would do better to figure out why the United States -- the most developed nation in the world -- failed catastrophically in handling the epidemic. They should also ask what lessons can be learned.

China has dynamically adjusted its COVID-19 control policy in line with the epidemic situation. On Dec. 7, it announced 10 new measures to further optimize its COVID-19 response, easing restrictions on travel and reducing mass nucleic acid testing. The adjustment was based precisely on its scientific assessment of the epidemic situation, prudent planning, as well as a timely response to the yearnings of the people. The country realized a smooth transition to the new epidemic prevention phase, and achieved a major decisive victory against the virus.

The U.S. media distortion of China's virus fight as "costing lives" is in conflict with truth and history. The slanderous reports mislead the world and discredit the media outlets themselves. China's COVID-19 policy has saved countless lives, whereas that of the United States has cost lives.

Furthermore, it is disrespectful to science to promote the "lab leak" theory time and again without any evidence at all. Such hype is entirely politically motivated.

Those American politicians who are proud of "lying, cheating and stealing" are just seeking to shift attention from their chaotic and incompetent response.

The United States is in no position to judge China's COVID-19 response policy and performance. It is the Chinese people who have lived through the epidemic that should make judgments on the matter.

With lies and bias, American politicians are accustomed to blaming and scapegoating others for their own poor management, but this simply tells the world they are on the wrong side of history with injustice and immorality.