China honours 'heroes of COVID war' and says it passed a 'historic test'

China's ruling Communist Party held a ceremony honouring the "heroes" of the "people's war" against COVID-19 today, with President Xi Jinping saying his country had passed a "historic test".

He said China acted openly and transparently throughout the outbreak, and "helped save the lives of tens of millions of people around the world with its practical actions".

Not everyone would agree, however - US President Donald Trump has claimed that early failures in China allowed the virus to spread more quickly, while Australia has backed an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus.

The awards ceremony also made no mention of Dr Li Wenliang, who was punished after raising the first alarm about a new infectious disease in Wuhan.

He later died of the virus.

There have been doubts about China's coronavirus figures in the past.

However, life in China now appears more or less back to normal. Last month, thousands of people packed into a pool party in Wuhan, where virus transmission is now close to zero.

[Source: BBC]