"Unfortunately, the US side has used the UN pulpit for fabricating rumours and groundless accusations, and slandering China against all evidence, out of shady political motives. The Chinese side expresses its resolute protest", the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In his speech, Trump blamed the Chinese government again for the global spread of the coronavirus. The US leader accused Beijing and the World Health Organisation, which he said is "virtually controlled by China", of falsely declaring there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission and of transmission by asymptomatic carriers. Trump also called on the UN to "hold China accountable".
The US President repeatedly claimed that Beijing was concealing information about the pandemic, stating that "China had far more deaths" than the United States, which Chinese authorities denied.
The first reports about the pandemic in Wuhan, Hubei Province appeared at the very end of 2019, with the start of the outbreak being linked to a local market.
The WHO announced its emergency declaration on 30 January, urging countries to impose anti-coronavirus measures to curb the disease. The US, however, said the organisation helped China to cover the information, and pulled out of the WHO, redirecting its funds.