China denies criticising France's virus response

China on Tuesday denied criticising France's response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying there had been "misunderstandings" after French officials summoned the Chinese ambassador in Paris.

"China has never issued negative comments on the way France has handled the epidemic," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press briefing.

"To the contrary, we share the concerns of France, which today faces the serious challenges brought by this epidemic."

China's embassy to France has been leading a high-profile public relations campaign in recent weeks to vaunt the country's success in largely quelling the coronavirus while criticising the handling of the crisis by Western countries.

On Sunday, the Chinese embassy published on its website a long text titled "Restoring distorted facts - Observations of a Chinese diplomat posted to Paris".