China hits back at so-called coronavirus 'lies' by US politicians war of words escalates, End of the ‘golden era’? The growing c

(CNN)China has struck back at what it calls "24 lies" by US politicians in the most sweeping and detailed rebuke yet of accusations over its handling of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

An 11,000-word article posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website on Saturday gave a point-by-point rebuttal of the 24 "preposterous allegations and lies" that it said were fabricated by US politicians and media outlets to "shift the blame to China for their inadequate response to Covid-19."
The article was also carried Sunday by Xinhua, China's government-run news agency, and shared by its official account on Twitter.
The lengthy refutation is the latest attempt by Beijing to defend its handling of the outbreak, as it comes under international scrutiny over its handling of the virus and faces mounting calls for an independent inquiry.
In recent weeks, the US has doubled down on blaming China for the spread of the virus, accusing it of withholding important information -- especially in the critical early stages of the outbreak -- and questioning its death toll. US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have also claimed, without providing evidence, that the virus originated from a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak was first reported last December.

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The Chinese Ambassador to the UK last week warned that increasingly vocal criticisms of Beijing from Conservative Members of Parliament risked “poisoning” UK-China relations. What’s behind the rift, and how should the UK approach one of the key foreign policy challenges of the coming decade? Sebastian Whale reports

A curious by-product of the coronavirus pandemic could be not only a potential recalibration of British foreign policy, but of globalisation itself. It could force a rethink of how countries engage, encourage greater self-dependency, and cause pause for thought over relations with countries such as China, whose actions have become a source of concern.

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