US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. PHOTO: REUTERS/File
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sharpened on Thursday his criticism of China’s dealing with of a coronavirus pandemic, saying its ruling Communist Social gathering was nonetheless denying the world data wanted to forestall additional circumstances.
The remarks, in an interview with the Washington Watch radio program, provoked a riposte from China that Pompeo ought to stop “politicising” the epidemic and defaming the nation.
Pompeo had repeated earlier fees that Beijing’s delay in sharing details about the virus had created dangers to individuals worldwide that had “truly put thousands of lives at risk.”
“My concern is that this cover-up, this disinformation that the Chinese Communist Party is engaged in, is still denying the world the information it needs so that we can prevent further cases or something like this from recurring again,” he added.
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Pompeo additionally accused Iran and Russia of waging disinformation campaigns concerning the virus.
“The disinformation campaign from Russia and Iran as well as China continues,” he mentioned. “They’re talking about it coming from the US Army and they’re saying maybe it began in Italy, all things to deflect responsibility.”
Regardless of his sturdy criticism of China, Pompeo kept away from referring to the virus because the “Chinese virus” or the “Wuhan virus,” labels which have angered Beijing and which he has used repeatedly.
“The time will come for recriminations,” he mentioned, however added it was essential for the world to know what was actually occurring.
“This is an ongoing global crisis, and we need to make sure that every country today is being transparent, sharing what’s really going on, so that the global community, the global health care, infectious disease community can begin to work on this in a holistic way.”
In Beijing, international ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang mentioned China had been clear and shared data with the World Well being Organisation and different international locations, together with the US.
“We urge the US to cease politicising the epidemic, and cease attacking and defaming China,” Geng instructed a day by day information convention.
Pompeo, a persistent critic of Beijing and the Communist Social gathering, mentioned “very important decisions” must be made sooner or later about how the US-China relationship was structured.
He added that supply-chain challenges confronted in the US had been as a consequence of firms “operating their supply chains out of China but not here in the United States.”
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Pompeo didn’t elaborate, however US officers mentioned final week the White Home was getting ready an government order to assist relocate medical provide chains from China and elsewhere abroad to the US amid the pandemic.
The proposed US push has sparked concern in China and elsewhere, though it’s unclear when Trump may act.
The US “should never be reliant on a foreign country for the means of our own survival,” Trump mentioned at a day by day briefing of his coronavirus activity pressure.
“Our goal for the future must be to have American medicine for American patients, American supplies for American hospitals…”
