The US State Department has ordered all non-essential personnel to leave the city of Shanghai due to the emergency from Covid-19 and highlighting "concerns for the safety and well-being of American citizens." As early as three days ago, the States United had authorized the non-essential staff of the consulate and their families to leave and advised American citizens not to go to the metropolis where a very strict lockdown has been in place for about two weeks.
Now the stance, which in Beijing did not go down.
China "strongly opposes" the decision of the US State Department to order all non-essential personnel to leave Shanghai for the Covid-19 emergency, seeing in the move announced today "a politicization and exploitation of the issue", the comment by Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, for whom Beijing has "expressed solemn declarations" of protest.
"The United States should immediately stop attacking China's epidemic prevention policy, using the epidemic to engage in political manipulation and defaming China," Zhao added.
On the other hand, the Covid-19 emergency in Shanghai continues to be critical: the new confirmed cases reached 994 yesterday, while asymptomatic carriers were 22,348, according to data released by local authorities.
(Unioneonline / vl)