The European Union (EU)'s top diplomat said on Monday that it is not the time for countries to blame one another with terms like "Chinese virus," and Chinese help to Italy and Europe is welcome.
"We will continue to be a reliable partner also choosing cooperation over competition. This is not the time to blame each other. This is not the time to use one disease or one virus or Chinese virus or to try to blame each other," EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said after a video conference of EU foreign affairs ministers.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc in Europe and the United States, some U.S. officials' public use of terms like "Chinese virus" in recent days has come under fierce criticism from within and outside the United States.
"We have to strengthen the need for cooperation. This is the time to strengthen multilateralism in order to join efforts and to face together a threat to the whole mankind," Borrel said.
Borrel said that at the beginning, China was the most affected country, and Europeans "were sending a lot of help to China, because at that time we had the resources and China had the need and we were helping China."
"Now China is in that situation that can bring back the help that we gave to China several weeks ago. And every help is welcome," he said.
Borrel also said that the EU has now coordinated better its response to the pandemic.
"For sure we have to strengthen European solidarity. Some events that happened at the beginning that some countries were not allowing the medical capacities to be sent to some neighbors," he said, "this problem has been overcome."
