This archive report was first published on 20 April 2020.
China's Response to Covid-19 Criticism Sparks Controversy ¶
On April 16, 2020, German newspaper BILD published an open letter to China's President Xi Jinping, criticizing the country's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The letter, written by BILD's editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt, accused China of endangering the world by refusing to monitor high-risk animal markets in the country, despite having the capability to do so.
Reichelt also accused China of stifling creativity and innovation by not allowing its citizens to think freely, and of enriching itself through the theft of intellectual property.
He further alleged that China's scientists had knowledge of the virus's transmission from person to person, but chose to keep it a secret, leaving the world in the dark.
Reichelt also pointed out that laboratories in Wuhan had researched corona viruses in bats without meeting the highest safety standards, and questioned why these labs were not as secure as China's political prisons.
China's embassy in Berlin responded to the letter, calling it 'infamous' and accusing Reichelt of 'fueling nationalism.'
However, Reichelt stood by his letter, saying that he was simply stating the facts and that China's actions were a threat to the world.
He also accused China of 'smiling imperialism' by sending masks around the world, and predicted that the Covid-19 pandemic would ultimately be China's downfall.
