White House Press Secretary Jean Psaki insisted that the controversy over how the coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China was the reason for the spike of violence toward Asians in the US.
According to Psaki, the spike in violence against Asians in the country was the result of “hate-filled rhetoric” about “the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, a baseless claim that has been promoted by the Chinese Communist Party.”
“We’ve seen this rise, unfortunately, because of hate-filled rhetoric and language around the origins of the pandemic,” Psaki said after being questioned about the 339% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes since Joe Biden took office last January.
Moreover, in an investigation conducted by the Wall Street Journal, it was revealed that the “driving force behind the rallying call” was the network of fake social media accounts allegedly driven by the Chinese government.
According to the reports, the accounts are calling out Americans to fight back against theories that the COVID-19 virus was the product of a Chinese lab in Wuhan.
In addition, Chinese propaganda outlets such as China Daily and China’s Global Times also published articles, claiming that “racism runs deep in the heart of quite a few Americans”
“Protesters denouncing racism against Asians have again filled the streets in Manhattan as New York sees some of the most sustained agitation in the United States for a stronger response to hate crimes that have become more frequent during the coronavirus pandemic.” China Daily wrote.
As of now, there’s still no concrete evidence supporting the claims on China’s role in the coronavirus pandemic and its connection to the surge in violence against Asians in the country.
