Attempts by the United States to distract attention from its incompetence during the COVID-19 pandemic by blaming China and the World Health Organization are baseless, unhelpful and cannot fool the international community, said members of China's top political advisory body.

On May 13, US senators introduced the COVID-19 Accountability Act, accusing China of mishandling the outbreak and withholding information that resulted in the dire situation in the US. The act would enable US President Donald Trump to impose new sanctions on China and ask for compensation.

On May 13, US senators introduced the COVID-19 Accountability Act, accusing China of mishandling the outbreak and withholding information that resulted in the dire situation in the US.

Some US politicians have frequently claimed that Wuhan in Hubei province is the origin of the novel coronavirus, or that the virus was made in the biosafety level 4 lab, also known as the P4 lab, of the Wuhan Institute of Virology. President Trump has also accused the WHO of colluding with China and recently threatened to cut its US funding permanently and even quit the organization.

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China Daily interviewed several prominent members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to share their views on the situation. The following are excerpts from these interviews:

Accusations are baseless

Huang Luqi, president of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, member of the CPPCC National Committee

The accusations by the US are completely baseless. I was one of the first doctors to arrive in Wuhan when the epidemic started. I know that, on Dec 31, the local health authority had already issued a statement on the cases of atypical pneumonia. On Jan 3, China provided updates of the situation to the WHO, the US and other countries, as well as to regions such as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

China has promptly published its information in an honest, transparent and responsible fashion. The New York Times reported that most coronavirus cases in New York City came from Europe. Data from several major provinces in Canada showed that their cases came from US travelers. Australia's health department data said the nation's ratio of imported cases from Northeast Asia was very low.

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When I have discussed the COVID-19 situation with US counterparts, they are willing to speak with me and respect objective facts. Now it is some US politicians who are blaming China, hoping to shift their responsibility to appease their voters and the stock market.

No legal basis to sue China

Zhu Zhengfu, vice-president of the All China Lawyers Association, member of the CPPCC National Committee

There is no legal basis or precedent for the US to sue China over the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is a global public health incident, and the country where the outbreak was first reported is not obligated to shoulder responsibility for the pandemic.

China's efforts to combat the COVID-19 epidemic have not violated any international law, and it is not the cause of the massive spread of the disease in the US.When the US is pushing for an inquiry on China, it is acting with a presumption of guilt.

Smear campaign is shocking

Kong Quan, deputy head of the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the CPPCC, member of the CPPCC National Committee

Our members are very angry at some US politicians claiming China is hiding political motives behind its efforts to help other countries to combat COVID-19. These US politicians ignore the united efforts to combat the pandemic and the altruistic support for others shown by countries around the globe. This is shocking.

The US has the highest number of confirmed cases. Yet some US politicians are still busy disparaging other nations' efforts and rejecting international dialogue and cooperation. It has even started to swing at the WHO, which seriously undermines the global effort to combat the outbreak.

China's support has no conditions attached, and it is not interested in meddling in other countries' affairs. For example, we have shipped close to 50,000 ventilators. The Chinese and American people are willing to help each other, but it is a small number of US politicians who keep politicizing the issue.

Allegations are misleading

Li Baodong, member of the CPPCC National Committee

During the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly, many countries voiced their support for the WHO's leadership and coordinating role. Yet, it is the US that wants to coerce the WHO to do its bidding at this critical juncture, going so far as threatening to withdraw funding if the WHO does not comply. Using money to induce and force an international organization to fall into line, only the US would do something like this.

Within the 21-strong WHO leadership team, 11 of them come from the US, the European Union, Canada and Australia, and only one comes from China. Even the WHO working group on COVID-19 consists mostly of US experts, including ones from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How can they say China can control the WHO when a majority of its personnel are from the US? This is giving a false account of real facts.

Lab could not create virus

Hu Yu, president of Wuhan Union Hospital of China, member of the CPPCC National Committee

Tracing the origin of the virus is a serious scientific problem that should be tackled by scientists and medical experts. Wuhan was the first place to report the COVID-19 outbreak, but that does not necessarily mean it is its place of origin. AIDS was first reported in the US, but that surely did not mean it originated in the US. The virus is a common enemy of mankind, and scientists should join forces to find more evidence and pinpoint its exact origin.

The P4 lab is dedicated to studying the virus, and it does not have the ability to create a new virus. It was built in accordance with strict international standards, with rigorous management and protection. We have never heard of anyone from the lab being infected with COVID-19. Moreover, more than 70 foreign experts interacted with the Wuhan Institute of Virology last year. It is an institute that operates under the principles of sharing, open and internationalized management.

Focus on saving lives

Liu Hongcai, member of the CPPCC National Committee

The recently proposed US legislation ignores the facts and attacks China's political system. The COVID-19 pandemic is a natural disaster, and China is also a victim. The COVID-19 virus does not care about political systems or ideologies. China, a developing country with 1.4 billion people, got the situation under control in a short period thanks to the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China and the steadfast unity of the nation.

I urge US politicians to stop lying to themselves and focus more of their energy on saving lives, rather than blaming China for their incompetence. Smearing cannot save lives, but cooperation with various countries can, including with China.