Lijian Zhao, the spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, has publicly blamed the United States for the recent outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China.
Shorlty after news broke that US President Donald Trump was halting flights to Europe for one month, Lijian made the absurd claim via Twitter, offering a misleading video of Center for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield discussing cases of the outbreak in America as evidence that the United States was responsible for the cases in Wuhan.
He said, "CDC was caught on the spot. When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation!"
Most experts agree patient zero started in Wuhan, China. The testimony from Redfield didn't imply US cases predated the cases in China nor did it suggest the United States was somehow the cause of the outbreak.
Not surprisingly Lijian has a long history of making inaccurate and dishonest claims. Chinese leader Xi Jinping hasn't yet repeated his claims.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian attends a press conference in Beijing on March 4, 2020. (Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images)