President of China, Xi Jinping, has declared that his country acted in an “open and transparent” manner over the outbreak of Covid-19 and also made concrete efforts to help other nations.
Xi, who was speaking at a special ceremony in Beijing on Monday, told the audience that China did not hide anything about the virus, which first emerged in the central city of Wuhan late last year.
China staged a special event to recognise its ‘role models’ in the fight against the virus with China’s top respiratory disease expert, Zhong Nanshan, awarded the Medal of the Republic – China’s top honour.
Meanwhile, two of Australia’s leading foreign correspondents in China have flown home for their own safety after they were questioned separately by China’s Ministry of State Security, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Tuesday.
The China correspondents for the ABC and the Australian Financial Review (AFR) sought shelter in Australia’s embassy in Beijing and consulate in Shanghai as diplomats negotiated with Chinese officials to allow them to leave the country, the ABC and the AFR reported.
