MANILA, Philippines – United States President Donald Trump warned China on Saturday to face consequences if the country is found to be “knowingly responsible" for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak that already killed over 30,000 Americans.
The American leader said they are now conducting investigations but did not provide details what actions the United States might take.
“If it was a mistake, a mistake is a mistake. But if they were knowingly responsible, yeah, then there should be consequences,” he said.
Trump and senior aides have accused China of a lack of transparency after the virus broke out last year in Wuhan City, the capital of Chinese Hubei province.
“It could have been stopped in China before it started and it wasn’t, and the whole world is suffering because of it,” Trump said in a daily White House briefing.
Some Republican lawmakers have suggested the virus was released from a lab during Chinese experiments. They created a bill to sue China for virus damages.
“By silencing doctors and journalists who tried to warn the world about the coronavirus, the Chinese Communist Party allowed the virus to spread quickly around the globe. Their decision to cover up the virus led to thousands of needless deaths and untold economic harm. It’s only appropriate that we hold the Chinese government accountable for the damage it has caused,” said US Senator Tom Cotton.
Trump clarified that before the virus outbreak, US-China relation was good. “The question was asked, ‘would you be angry at China?’ Well, the answer might very well be a very resounding yes, but it depends: was it a mistake that got out of control, or was it done deliberately?”
“There’s a big difference between those two,” he said.
Trump also announced he would stop US funding for World Health Organization accusing it of being “China-centric.”
As of Saturday, WHO tracker says the total infected individuals in the USA rose to 665,330 with 30,384 fatalities. Worldwide, the new strain of virus already infected more than 2 million people and had killed 146,088 patients.
— The Summit Express
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| United States President Donald Trump warns China on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Photo Credit: InsideClimate News |
The American leader said they are now conducting investigations but did not provide details what actions the United States might take.
“If it was a mistake, a mistake is a mistake. But if they were knowingly responsible, yeah, then there should be consequences,” he said.
Trump and senior aides have accused China of a lack of transparency after the virus broke out last year in Wuhan City, the capital of Chinese Hubei province.
“It could have been stopped in China before it started and it wasn’t, and the whole world is suffering because of it,” Trump said in a daily White House briefing.
Some Republican lawmakers have suggested the virus was released from a lab during Chinese experiments. They created a bill to sue China for virus damages.
“By silencing doctors and journalists who tried to warn the world about the coronavirus, the Chinese Communist Party allowed the virus to spread quickly around the globe. Their decision to cover up the virus led to thousands of needless deaths and untold economic harm. It’s only appropriate that we hold the Chinese government accountable for the damage it has caused,” said US Senator Tom Cotton.
Trump clarified that before the virus outbreak, US-China relation was good. “The question was asked, ‘would you be angry at China?’ Well, the answer might very well be a very resounding yes, but it depends: was it a mistake that got out of control, or was it done deliberately?”
“There’s a big difference between those two,” he said.
Trump also announced he would stop US funding for World Health Organization accusing it of being “China-centric.”
As of Saturday, WHO tracker says the total infected individuals in the USA rose to 665,330 with 30,384 fatalities. Worldwide, the new strain of virus already infected more than 2 million people and had killed 146,088 patients.
— The Summit Express
