Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. （PHOTO / XINHUA）

UNITED NATIONS - The Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations on Wednesday expressed firm opposition to the US attack and slander at the general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The Chinese mission made the remarks in exercising the right of reply, in accordance with the rules of the UNGA, to the attack and slander against China made by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday at the general debate.

At the UNGA general debate, the United States attacked and slandered China in total disregard of basic facts. China expresses firm opposition, said the Chinese mission.

"The world is facing formidable challenges posed by COVID-19 and the serious threats of unilateralism, protectionism, and bullying practices. The world has come to a crossroads," said the Chinese mission. "At this moment, what is needed is unity, cooperation, and mutual trust, instead of confrontation and the spread of 'political virus.'"

China reported the epidemic, identified the pathogen, and shared its genome sequence with the world -- all at the earliest time possible

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The novel coronavirus is the common enemy of humankind. It is yet another unknown virus from nature, which can break out among humans anytime anywhere. China is a victim of the virus and a contributor to the global fight against it, the Chinese mission said.

China reported the epidemic, identified the pathogen, and shared its genome sequence with the world -- all at the earliest time possible. When human-to-human transmission was confirmed, China immediately made the resolute decision to shut all exit routes from Wuhan. The most stringent closure was imposed on the exit routes from Wuhan City and Hubei Province, and traffic control was put in place. China's customs authorities promptly halted, in accordance with law, overseas travels by Chinese people under four categories, namely confirmed cases, suspected cases, close contacts with the former two, and people with fevers, said the Chinese mission.

When China closed the exit channels from Wuhan on Jan 23, only nine confirmed cases were identified outside China, of which only one was in the United States

When China closed the exit channels from Wuhan on Jan 23, only nine confirmed cases were identified outside China, of which only one was in the United States. On Jan 31, the United States suspended direct flights with China. When the United States closed its borders to all Chinese citizens on Feb 2, only a dozen of confirmed cases were reported in the United States, it noted.

"China's epidemic response has been open and transparent every step of the way. The timeline is clear, and the facts and data speak for themselves," said the mission.

The United States, as a developed country with the most advanced medical technology in the world, has nonetheless become the most severely affected country in the world, with more than 6 million confirmed cases and 200,000 deaths. The reasons behind are thought-provoking, it said.

The smear campaign against China on COVID-19 is an attempt by the United States to shift the blame for its own poor handling of the epidemic. The United States also arbitrarily attacked and pulled out of the World Health Organization (WHO), putting global anti-epidemic cooperation in jeopardy, harming people around the world and incurring a heavy cost for its own people, the Chinese mission said.

The smear campaign against China on COVID-19 is an attempt by the United States to shift the blame for its own poor handling of the epidemic

"What the US needs to do now is stop the political manipulation, stop labeling or politicizing the virus, focus on combating the virus at home, and support the UN and the WHO in playing their roles," it noted in the statement.

On climate change and environmental protection, China has actively fulfilled international responsibilities compatible with its own stage of development and national conditions, and adopted a host of policies and actions. The outcomes achieved are widely recognized, said the Chinese mission.

China attained its 2020 climate action targets two years ahead of schedule, a major contribution to the global response to climate change. Non-fossil fuels now take up nearly 15 percent in China's total energy consumption. China has 30 percent of the world's installed capacity of renewable energy, accounting for 44 percent of the world increase. Its new energy vehicle stock is more than half the world's total. China has contributed 25 percent to the increased afforestation areas worldwide since 2000, it said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping just announced at the general debate of the UN General Assembly that China will update and enhance its nationally determined contribution targets, introduce stronger policies and measures, and strive for the peaking of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Such objectives are consistent with China's vision of a vibrant, clean and beautiful world through joint efforts and its commitment to fostering a community with a shared future for humankind, it said.

China takes an active part in global climate governance. China is one of the first signatories to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and has contributed significantly to the conclusion of the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement and related implementation guidelines, it said.

Thanks to the concerted efforts by China and other parties, the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain, produced a string of decisions that reaffirmed the commitment to multilateralism and the consensus among all parties on climate governance, laying the groundwork for follow-up negotiations, it said.

The United States, by reverting to "the cold war mentality" and creating ideological confrontation, is pushing the world into a dangerous situation

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The United States, as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases in cumulative terms, not only failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, but also pulled out of the Paris Agreement. It has rejected binding quantified emissions reduction targets for itself and refused to take even the minimum steps to protect the planet. By doing so, the United States has completely disassociated itself from the global carbon emissions system and arrangements, and seriously held back such global processes as emissions reduction and green and low-carbon development, said the Chinese mission.

The United States is the world's largest exporter of solid waste and a major consumer of plastics per capita. However, it has refused to ratify the Basel Convention and set obstacles to the global governance process on plastic waste. It has even shipped a huge amount of waste to developing countries, doing enormous harm to local and global environments. The United States is in no position to blame others, it said.

Pursuing unilateralism and bullying practices, the United States keeps withdrawing from international treaties and organizations, severely undermining the UN-centered international system and the rules-based international order. The United States flexes its muscles in many parts of the world, interfering grossly in the internal affairs of other countries and instigating "color revolutions," thus jeopardizing regional peace and stability, it said.

The United States, by reverting to "the cold war mentality" and creating ideological confrontation, is pushing the world into a dangerous situation. Working against globalization, the United States is erecting protectionist barriers and destabilizing the world supply and industrial chains. It is wielding the big stick of unilateral sanctions, frantically containing and suppressing foreign companies, and attempting to artificially cut off the international flow of capital, technology, product, industry and personnel. All these pose a serious threat to world peace and development, said the Chinese mission.

"We urge the US side to reflect on its own problems, change course and do more in the interest of world peace and development, rather than going further down the path of unilateralism and hegemony," it said.