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Washington and Beijing are locked in a war of words over the
origins of the disease, which emerged in the Chinese city of
Wuhan and has grown into a global pandemic.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was confident
the coronavirus may have originated in a Chinese virology lab,
but declined to describe the evidence.
In the animation posted online by China's official Xinhua news
agency, red curtains open to reveal a stage featuring Lego-like
figures in the form of a terracotta warrior wearing a face mask
and the Statue of Liberty.
"We discovered a new virus," says the warrior.
"So what?" replies the Statue of Liberty. "It's only a flu."
As the warrior issues warnings about the virus and counts off
the grim milestones in China's outbreak, the Statue of Liberty
replies dismissively with echoes of Trump's press conferences in
which he played down the severity of the illness.
"Are you listening to yourselves?" asks the warrior as the
statue begins to turn red with fever and gets hooked up to an
intravenous drip.
"We are always correct, even though we contradict ourselves,"
the statue replies.
"That's what I love about you Americans, your consistency," says
the warrior.
The United States and other countries have accused China of
misleading the world about the severity of the outbreak, and
there are growing calls for an international inquiry into the
origins of the virus.
In an interview with Reuters, Trump said he believes China’s
handling of the coronavirus pandemic is proof that Beijing “will
do anything they can” to make him lose his re-election bid in
November.
(Reporting by Engen Tham; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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