People worldwide "indignant" at U.S. psychological warfare of discrediting Chinese vaccines: embassy

MANILA, June 20 (Xinhua) -- People around the world are "indignant" about the reported U.S. military's secret psychological warfare of discrediting Chinese vaccines, a spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines has said in a statement.

The U.S. military's actions lay bare the hypocrisy, malign intention and double standards of the United States, according to the statement released on Tuesday.

China, as a responsible major country, provided global public goods such as vaccines to other countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.

China was the first to provide COVID-19 response supplies and vaccines to the Philippines, it said, adding that China and the Philippines have been mutually supportive and cooperative against the onslaught of the disease, making important contributions to the world's final victory over the pandemic.

However, the cooperation was not as smooth as it was supposed to be due to obstruction and sabotage by a third country and certain forces, the statement said.

"Of course, such a plot doomed to failure as it went against the interests of the Chinese and Filipino peoples," it said.

While talking about respecting human rights frequently, the United States does just the opposite regarding the fundamental human rights of life and health of the Filipino people, the statement said.

While reaffirming its so-called ironclad commitment to its allies all the time, when it comes to the critical moment of fighting the pandemic together, the United States always pursued the policy of America First, exploiting the vulnerability of the Filipino people for its ulterior geopolitical motives, it said.

"By denying access to Chinese assistance, and in defiance of the global public opinion, the United States dares to spread rumors and spin stories on major global public health issues including the vaccine," it said.

"We hope that the United States will behave the way it claims to be, and stop fabricating and spreading disinformation against other countries. It is expected to shoulder responsibility of a major country, truly respect the effort of other countries in safeguarding people's health, well-being and peace and stability of the region," the statement said.

Some commentators in the Philippines pointed out that if the United States launched such a secret disinformation campaign to discredit Chinese vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, it could well be running another round to portray China as a "bully" in the South China Sea.

In response to such remarks, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines said that the Chinese and Filipino people "should remain highly vigilant and clear-eyed, resist being taken in by disinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, define their own fate and protect China-Philippines relations as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea."