China Attacks Trump Over Coronavirus Response

A Chinese official responds to Trump’s repeated criticism of China and its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, saying that the US government wasted more than a month. 

China Strikes Back, Calls for Cooperation 

China’s Executive Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng took shots at Trump in an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, rejecting allegations that Beijing covered up the initial outbreak and withheld data and information about the virus. Le said that the virus is a “natural disaster,” once again calling for greater cooperation internationally. 

Le also questioned what the US government was doing between Jan. 23 – when Wuhan went under lockdown, and March 13 – the day Trump announced a national emergency. 

“In this interval of 50 days, what was the US government doing? Where have those 50 days gone?” Le said. 

No US officials have commented on the interview yet, although Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted Monday that the Chinese Communist Party has to be “transparent,” previously stating that Beijing would “pay a price” for its actions, although it’s so far unknown in what form. 

So far, the US has more than 1 million confirmed cases, with Trump saying the number comes due to the country’s “much better” testing, and more than 58,000 deaths to the disease. Meanwhile, China has registered less than 100,000 cases – a number many are now questioning, as well as the death toll. Some speculation has also arisen that the virus may have originated in a Wuhan laboratory, although no evidence has been presented yet. 

The US has also put a halt to funding meant for the World Health Organization and is investigating the relationship between China and the WHO, accusing the latter of being “too close” to Beijing. 

The current situation brings yet another barrier between the world’s two largest economies and their on-and-off trade talks. Le Yucheng further called for cooperation between the two in fighting the “true enemy of the United States” - the COVID-19 virus, offering his “heartfelt sympathy” to Americans fighting the ongoing pandemic. 

Le also criticized the politicization of the outbreak, calling it “short-sighted” and “irresponsible,” and sharing the Chinese public’s anger over the matter. 

When asked about potential reparations that could be made by China, Le said the idea itself was “preposterous,” and is an “out-and-out political farce.”