Previously, Du had publicly argued that China was being scapegoated for its response to the virus.
"In the beginning, some voices were condescending and schadenfreude. Later, when the disease broke out around the world, the voices became 'China should apologize.' It is scapegoating. In history, it has happened many times when the causes of diseases were wrongfully blamed on a specific group of people, which is despicable and should be condemned. The disease is the enemy of all mankind, and the world must fight it together," he said in an April interview with the Hebrew-language newspaper Israel Hayom.
The Chinese embassy in Israel later criticized the U.S. directly on Friday, specifically calling out remarks made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The embassy statement pushed back against accusations from the Trump administration that China is to blame for the global coronavirus pandemic.