Cornered China's Xi takes swipe amid Black Lives Matter; pleads against Covid politics

As China gets globally cornered for its lack of transparency regarding the Coronavirus outbreak, its President Xi Jinping on Thursday said that the country opposes this 'politicisation and stigmatization' of the deadly virus. Xi Jinping stated that China stood firmly for 'equity and justice' in the world and strongly opposed any 'racial discrimination and ideological bias' in what is also likely a counter amid the Black Lives Matter protests ongoing in the US and elsewhere. 

Read: UN Enters Heated US-China Covid Origin Row; Asks Trump Administration To Cough Up Evidence

Read: US Planning To Reopen Consulate In China's Wuhan By Late June Amid Rising Tensions

The virus which is said to have its origins from the wet seafood market in Wuhan has infected over 80,61,549 people and caused 4,40,290 deaths worldwide. The United States has constantly accused China of concealing information regarding the contagion saying that they should have shared their data sooner and that every country has the obligation to share that information timely and accurately. Recently, US Senator Rick Scott also alleged that China is trying to sabotage or slowdown COVID-19 vaccine development by Western countries. 123 countries have appealed for a probe into the virus' origins, which was begrudgingly accepted by China at the World Health Assembly. 

COVID spread in Wuhan in August?

Last month, a study was put forward by the Harvard Medical School which suggested that the Coronavirus outbreak could have hit China early fall in 2019. The research group from Harvard Medical School have concluded this based on the satellite images it studied which tracked the movement of vehicles along major hospitals in Wuhan. The satellite images show dramatic spikes of traffic in Wuhan hospitals starting from somewhere around September to mid-October suggesting that China could have concealed the truth regarding the deadly contagion for months.

Read: China Dismisses Harvard Study Suggesting Coronavirus May Have Spread In Wuhan In August