Xinhua News Agency, Washington, September 17 (Reporter Xu Jianmei and Deng Xianlai) The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on the 17th with 243 votes in favor and 164 votes against, condemning "all forms of anti-Asian sentiment related to the new crown virus", including The term "Chinese virus".
The resolution emphasized that both the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated that linking the name of the virus with a specific geographic location is a stigmatization practice.
The resolution condemned all racially discriminatory, xenophobic or anti-Asian sentiments related to the new crown epidemic, and called on federal law enforcement agencies to cooperate with local authorities to bring perpetrators of violence against Asians to justice.
Before the vote, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Democrat Pelosi criticized some Washington politicians for promoting prejudice against Asians, accusing the White House of “using dangerous, false and offensive terms to describe the new crown virus.”
Pelosi said: "As (US) CDC health officials said, stigma is the enemy of public health."
This resolution is not mandatory and does not need to be sent to the Senate for approval or signed by the President.
Earlier this year, three senators including California federal senator and Democratic vice presidential candidate Harris initiated similar resolutions in the Senate, but the Senate has not yet voted on it.
Since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, harassment and violence against Asian Americans have increased in many parts of the United States.
The US media and experts pointed out that some politicians repeatedly used expressions such as the "Chinese virus" to encourage discrimination against Asian Americans.