Beijing Tells US Senator To 'Not Be Shy' & Show Proof Of China Sabotaging Vaccine Project

China has hit out at and challenged US Senator Rick Scott to show evidence supporting his allegation that Beijing is trying to slow down or sabotage the development of a COVID-19 vaccine by Western countries.

CGTN

Republican Senator Rick Scott had made the accusation, telling BBC television that he thinks China is actively working to disrupt the efforts of the US and other western countries to develop the vaccine.

Scott declined to give details of the evidence when asked during the interview on Sunday but said it had come through the intelligence community.

¡°China does not want us ... to do it first, they have decided to be an adversary to Americans and I think to democracy around the world,¡± he told the BBC.

Reuters

Scott and six other Republican senators introduced a bill last month aimed at preventing China from stealing or sabotaging vaccine research.

Beijing has now come out all guns blazing asking him to not shy away from showing proof that China was indulging in sabotaging the vaccine project.

¡°Since this lawmaker said he has evidence that China is trying to sabotage western countries in their vaccine development, then please let him present the evidence. There¡¯s no need to be shy,¡± Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily briefing in response to the senator¡¯s comments to BBC TV.

Reuters

Hua said development of a COVID-19 vaccine was not a bilateral competition and Beijing hoped the United States would mirror China¡¯s pledge and offer any vaccine it develops to the world for free.

U.S. President Donald Trump and other top officials in Washington have repeatedly criticised China¡¯s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 4 million people globally and killed more than 400,000.