US told to explain anti-Sinovac drive
THE CHINESE Embassy in Manila on Monday urged the United States to explain its alleged smear campaign in the Philippines against Chinese coronavirus vaccines, asking its economic rival to stop vilifying them.
“The US should give a long-overdue explanation to the international community both for its dissemination of disinformation over the years for selfish reasons and for the severe damage inflicted by the US ‘deception’ strategy and anti-Sinovac propaganda in the Philippines,” it said in a statement.
“The US is urged to quit those wrongful approaches at once, stop manipulation through lies and halt smearing and vilifying other countries.”
The agency was reacting to infectious disease expert Edsel Maurice T. Salvaña’s statement at the weekend saying Washington’s alleged campaign had led to “unnecessary suffering and deaths among those who were hesitant to take available vaccines.”
Kanishka Gangopadhyay, the spokesperson for the US Embassy in Manila, told BusinessWorld in a Viber message the US Defense department is better suited to comment on the issue.
Reuters earlier reported at least 300 X accounts based in the Philippines discredited Chinese coronavirus vaccines during the pandemic, matching the descriptions of the vaccine by former US military officials.
In a statement last week, US Defense spokesperson Lisa Lawrence said the agency “uses a variety of platforms, including social media, to counter those malign influence attacks aimed at the US, allies and partners.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez
