U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hit out at Beijing again on Wednesday over the coronavirus outbreak and accused it of taking advantage of the pandemic to bully neighbors, even as he welcomed China's provision of essential medical supplies.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hit out at Beijing again on Wednesday over the coronavirus outbreak and accused it of taking advantage of the pandemic to bully neighbors, even as he welcomed China’s provision of essential medical supplies.
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, which began late last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has grown into a global pandemic. The outbreak has killed around 180,000 people globally, including more than 45,000 in the United States, according to a Reuters tally.
Pompeo said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom failed to use his ability “to go public” when a member state failed to follow the rules. He said the WHO had an obligation to ensure safety standards were observed in virology labs in Wuhan and its director-general had “enormous authority with respect to nations that do not comply.
The Secretary of State spoke later on Wednesday with counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and said the United States has called on China to close its wildlife wet markets permanently, citing links between the markets and zoonotic diseases, which can jump from animals to humans.While the Trump administration has stepped up criticism of China as the pandemic worsens, the crisis has exposed U.S. reliance on China for essential medical supplies.
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