An ICU nurse from Shanghai Seventh People's Hospital, tends a patient at Leishenshan (Thunder God Mountain) Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 1, 2020.(Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

China slammed several U.S. officials' accusations of the country under-reporting the number of the COVID-19 cases and deaths as shameless and immoral.

BEIJING, April 2  -- China on Thursday refuted several United States intelligence officials' accusations that China concealed the extent of the coronavirus epidemic and under-reported the number of the COVID-19 cases and deaths, and noted that such remarks were "shameless and immoral."

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the comments at a news briefing when answering a relevant question.

"China has been giving open, transparent and timely updates to the world as demonstrated clearly in the details my colleagues and I have elaborated on China's response many times," Hua said.

On international public health security, it is the World Health Organization (WHO) and experts on epidemiology and disease control who are entitled to make judgement, rather than several politicians who are habitual liars, Hua said.