China backs WHO chief amid Taiwan racism spat

China's foreign ministry on Thursday backed World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus amid a spat with Taiwan.

Tedros accused Taiwan of instigating racist personal attacks on him at a briefing on Wednesday, prompting Taiwan's foreign ministry on Thursday to strongly protest.

"I certainly will not agree with (Taiwan's) accusations," said spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zhao Lijian. "We hope the Taiwan authorities will not politicize the epidemic situation or engage in political manipulation."

Tedros was elected with the strong support of China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and is one of five permanent veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council.

He has firmly backed Beijing's claims to have been open and transparent about the outbreak, despite strong evidence that it suppressed early reports on infections, while echoing its criticisms of the US.

At China's insistence, Taiwan has been barred from the UN and the WHO and even stripped of its observer status at the annual World Health Assembly.

At the same time, it has one of the most robust public health systems in the world.

Also on Thursday, Zhao confirmed that the China-Russia land border had closed, and said that the Chinese embassy in Russia had reminded Chinese citizens to take adequate precautions, including to "abide by Russia 's relevant epidemic prevention regulations".

Zhao also defended China's early response to the coronavirus outbreak, saying accusations by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Beijing had concealed information were "groundless".

"The channel for the US to obtain epidemic information and data from China is unimpeded," Zhao said.

As of Thursday, China had reported 82,883 COVID-19 cases and 3,339 deaths.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with mild or no visible symptoms.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.