BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday urged resistance to disinformation and leaving rumor spreaders "nowhere to hide under the sunlight," saying China itself is the "biggest victim" of such falsehoods.
The remarks came as Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying was asked to comment on social platform Twitter's recent removal of tens of thousands of accounts.
"It is obviously untenable to equate recognizing China's response with 'disinformation', unless the term gets redefined," Hua told a daily press briefing, noting China's efforts to combat COVID-19 and the results it achieved are real and witnessed by all. She cited a white paper recently released by the State Council Information Office on the united battle against COVID-19 in China, with a clear timeline and hard facts.
The spokesperson said since the outbreak of the pandemic, some people and forces in the international community have been almost crazy and hysterical in slandering and badmouthing China with rumors. She quoted a memo disclosed by United States media about advising Republican candidates to address the COVID-19 crisis by attacking China in their presidential election. She also mentioned piles of tweets and retweets, disseminating rumors about China through Twitter accounts linked to supporters of the GOP and the right wing in the U.S., many of which had the hallmarks of "bots."
"If Twitter believes that those tweets praising China's anti-epidemic efforts are 'disinformation' and the accounts should be shut down, I wonder what they will do with the real disinformation which has undeniably smeared China with malicious intentions?" Hua asked. "If those who create and spread such disinformation can be allowed to go their own way and do everything in their power, then this is the perfect example of ideological prejudice, bias against China, blatant double standards, and the behavior to confuse right and wrong. What should be shut down is precisely the accounts that attack and smear China in an organized and coordinated manner."
Hua said China is the biggest victim of disinformation and it always opposes the fabrication and dissemination of disinformation. The United Nations and WHO have repeatedly called on all countries to strengthen solidarity and cooperation to combat disinformation.
"We call on the international community to enhance solidarity and coordination, jointly reject disinformation, so that those political viruses such as rumors and slanders and the perpetrators and manipulators behind the scene will have no place to hide," she added.
Enditem
