NOTICIAS

By U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)
May 14, 2020
The Wall Street Journal
 
“China Wants to Help the World Fight Coronavirus” (op-ed, May 13) by China’s Foreign Ministry Commissioner Xie Feng is the latest attempt in the Communist Party’s blatant effort to sow chaos through conspiracy theories, spread propaganda and rewrite history amid a global crisis. Mr. Xie writes that Beijing made “tremendous sacrifice against all the odds, it created a strong first line of defense for China and the world.” These lies may work within China, where the Communist Party’s authoritarian grip on the media and censorship of social media gives the party full control of the narrative, but the world knows better.
 
The truth is that China covered up the outbreak of the virus, forcefully silenced medical professionals like the late Dr. Li Wenliang, lied about the number of infections and withheld information about the virus from the global community. Undoubtedly, the failure of the Chinese Communist Party to be transparent and disclose critical information from the beginning led to increased deaths around the world, a higher rate of infection, and caused the pandemic to spread faster and further than it otherwise would. A study published in March reported that the number of coronavirus cases could have been reduced by 95% and its spread halted had China acted responsibly.
 
Mr. Xie claims that the Communist Party wants to work with the international community and that “[i]dentifying the virus’s origin is a serious scientific issue.” I agree wholeheartedly, and if Mr. Xie’s written words are sincere, the Communist Party will cooperate with an international investigation to find out exactly how this global pandemic began in the first place. I won’t hold my breath waiting.
 
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.)
 
Miami