China is demanding an explaination,probably with an apology from Brazil after the government’s education minister linked the coronavirus pandemic to Beijing’s “plan for world domination”, in a tweet. His tweet imitated Chinese accent by replacing R with L further infuriating China.
Minister Abraham Weintraub insinuated China was behind the global health crisis as it is the only country that stands to gain from the rest of the world shutting down.
“Geopolitically, who will come out stronger from this global crisis?” he wrote on Twitter Saturday. “Who in Brazil is allied with this infallible plan for world domination?”
In the original Portuguese, his tweet substituted the letter “r” with capital “L” – “BLazil” instead of “Brazil,” for example – in a style commonly used to mock a Chinese accent.
The coronavirus pandemic first started in China around mid November of 2019. According to reports, information about the virus was initially suppressed with the world being formally informed in December, when it was already too late.
While other countries are yet to peak from its spread, China is already returning life back to normal with Wuahn city, the zero ground for the outbreak expected to reopen fully tomorrow 8th April.
Over the weekend, thousands of Chinese citizens crowded at parks after they were officially reopened.
China’s embassy in Brazil condemned Weintraub’s tweet calling it “absurd and despicable and “highly racist”. “The Chinese government expects an official explanation from Brazil,” tweeted ambassador Yang Wanming.
The row comes as Brazil, like many countries, is hoping to source more medical equipment from China to deal with Covid-19.
Weintraub said in an interview he stood by his tweet and called on China to do more to help fight the pandemic. “If they [China] sell us 1,000 ventilators, I’ll get down on my knees in front of the embassy, apologise and say I was an idiot,” he told Radio Bandeirantes.
Brazil is not the only country calling on the world to hold China responsible for the outbreak. A lawsuit was filed in the US suing China for her role in the spread of the pandemic in the US.
UK members of parliament are also reported to be drafting a bill that could censor China over coronavirus.
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