BEIJING, April 20 (CNN) - China is not the enemy of America, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters Monday, in response to US criticism over China’s transparency about the virus.

"Certain Americans should be clear about this: China isn’t their enemy," Geng said at a press briefing. "The international community must band together to win the fight against the virus."

"Attacking and smearing China wouldn’t win back wasted time or lost lives," he said. "We hope those people in the US respect facts, science and international consensus. They should stop attacking and blaming China, stop making irresponsible remarks, and focus more on domestic containment and international cooperation."

On Sunday, President Donald Trump said the US wanted to send investigators into China, but that previous requests to do so had been rebuffed.

Geng also called on the international community to "band together to cooperate, instead of pointing fingers at each other or even demanding compensation," referring to reports that Republican lawmakers in the US had introduced legislation last week allowing Americans to sue the government of China over misinformation about the virus.

In addition, Geng said Australia's call for an "independent review" of how the virus began in China was “disrespectful.” He urged Australia to do more to improve bilateral ties, especially bilateral cooperation on fighting the pandemic, instead of "echoing a certain country and following its footsteps to hype up the issue."