Washington: Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has blasted senior US Republican politicians for labelling COVID-19 the "Wuhan" or "Chinese" coronavirus, saying such "juvenile" rhetoric will hurt efforts to develop a global response to the crisis.
Chinese authorities and Asian-American members of the US Congress have also criticised Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy for using the geographical descriptors in recent days.
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd criticising Republican politicians for using the term “Wuhan virus” and “Chinese coronavirus”.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Controlling the narrative around the virus, and the language used to describe it, has become just the latest flashpoint in the increasingly tense relationship between the US and China.
McCarthy used the term "Chinese coronavirus" in a tweet directing his followers to health advice from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday (Tuesday AEDT). On Friday, Pompeo referred to the "Wuhan coronavirus".
Arizona congressman Paul Gosar referred to it as the "Wuhan Virus" when he announced he was going into self-isolation after coming into contact with someone who was infected.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, is briefed in Wuhan on Tuesday.Credit:Xinhua/AP
"This labelling of the illness is embarrassing, disrespectful, offensive, and downright disgusting," she said. "It is shameful."
Democratic congressman Ted Lieu said: "Calling it Chinese coronavirus is scientifically wrong and as stupid as calling it the Italian coronavirus."
World Health Organisation (WHO) officials have said they deliberately chose the non-descript COVID-19 to avoid using a name that was "inaccurate or stigmatising".
On Monday (Tuesday AEDT) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said: "Despite the fact that the WHO has officially named this novel type of coronavirus, certain American politician[s], disrespecting science and the WHO decision, jumped at the first chance to stigmatise China and Wuhan with it.
"We condemn this despicable practice."
The Chinese government has continued to sow doubt about where the virus originated, even though it first broke out in Wuhan.
Chinese media outlets have tried to shift the focus away from the origins of the outbreak to the Trump administration's struggles to contain its spread throughout the US.
An opinion article in Shanghai’s Xinmin Evening News last week said: "As the only superpower in the world, which is more developed than China, the US is supposed to have better medical and disease-prevention conditions."
In his popular Sinocism newsletter, China analyst Bill Bishop wrote: "The propaganda organs are certainly spinning up the narrative that China’s fight has helped save the world from much worse, and that they are willing to share their experiences and help other countries.
"There is also glee in some quarters with what so far has been a slow response by the US government."
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