A top Chinese official has slammed other countries for the 'overreaction' and 'unnecessary panic' towards the coronavirus
- Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi advised against the US from taking "unnecessary" coronavirus response actions that could be detrimental towards the economy and travel during an interview with Reuters.
- Wang also claimed that China has been "very open and transparent" in the way it has relayed information about the outbreak to the other countries.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi has slammed the 'overreaction' by other countries over the coronavirus and defended Beijing's handling of the "deep challenge" that has come with the fast spreading virus, Reuters reported.
During an interview with Reuters in Germany, Wang advised against the US from taking "unnecessary" coronavirus response actions that could be detrimental towards the economy and travel.
"The epidemic overall is under control," Wang said in the interview.
He also went on to describe how "sudden" the coronavirus epidemic has been and the difficulties it has brought both China and the world.
"We've taken such complete prevention and control efforts, efforts that are so comprehensive, that I can't see any other country that can do this," Wang said while continuing his criticism of the US's handling of the virus.
Since the outbreak, the US has taken major steps towards trying to curtail the spread of the virus into its country. Travel between the US and China has decreased, including the cancellation of flights to China by United Airlines and American Airlines and the issuing of a level four travel advisory by the US on February 2.
The US has also evacuated its citizens from the coronavirus epicenter, Wuhan, and will be evacuating around 400 Americans on the quarantined Princess Diamond cruise ship docked in Japan as early as Sunday.
"Some countries have stepped up measures, including quarantine measures, which are reasonable and understandable, but for some countries they have overreacted, which has triggered unnecessary panic," Wang said.
"[The countries] will gradually release such restrictions because at the end of the day, these countries need to interact with China."
Wang also claimed that China has been "very open and transparent" about the way it has handled the outbreak by releasing information to international countries about the virus. However, many Chinese citizens are furious at the government's initial attempt to silence coronavirus whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang, who died on February 7 after contracting the virus.
"Only under the leadership of President Xi can we control this sudden epidemic, which has spread so quickly," Wang said. "This is not only to defend the health of the Chinese people, but also will prevent the rapid spread of this epidemic in the world."
The coronavirus death toll has reached at least 1,523, and there are over 67,000 cases around the world.