China’s top envoy to the EU has hit back at allegations that Beijing is spreading disinformation about the coronavirus crisis, as tensions rise over a Brussels internal report that accuses Chinese official sources of a push to deflect blame for the pandemic.
Zhang Ming said it was better to “forget the politics now” to focus on the fight against Covid-19, in a riposte to claims from some European officials that Beijing is trying to exploit the health emergency for strategic gain.
“Disinformation is an enemy for all of us and it should be addressed by all of us,” Mr Zhang said in an online event on Friday organised by the Friends of Europe think-tank. “From the very beginning, China has suffered a lot from disinformation.”