During a press conference at the White House on Saturday, US President Donald Trump threatened China with “consequences” if it is found that they were “knowingly responsible” for the outbreak of the Wuhan Coronavirus.
He added, “It could have been stopped in China before it started and it wasn’t. And now the whole world is suffering because of it. If it was a mistake, a mistake is a mistake. But if they were knowingly responsible, yeah, then there should be consequences.”
Trump warns China could face consequences for virus outbreak https://t.co/VQoyjNBqup pic.twitter.com/YDLLteEIqP
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) April 19, 2020
Trump emphasised on how the Chinese Government refused to co-operate with the US in dealing with the pandemic. He said that China was perhaps embarrassed about the fact that the virus originated in the country. The US President also talked about an invincible alliance between China and Joe Biden, one of the Democratic candidates contesting for the post of the President.
Talking about the impact of the Chinese virus on the economy, Donald Trump highlighted, “We had the greatest economy in the world by far. China isn’t even close. Go back two months. And we’re going to keep it that way.”
He also raised questions about the low Chinese figures on Coronavirus-related deaths in the country. Trump reiterated, “The number’s impossible,” he said. “It’s an impossible number to hit.” It is important to remember that China, following pressure from world leaders, had revealed that Wuhan saw a 50% spike in Coronavirus deaths from what was previously reported.
Coronavirus not a “Natural Virus”
A report published by Fox News made a shocking revelation that the Wuhan coronavirus that has swept the globe was not a natural virus but a man-made one that was accidentally leaked by an intern working at the lab at Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
Mounting an attack against China for its possible complicity in the spread of the virus, US President Donald Trump took cognisance of the exclusive report published by the Fox News which alleged that though the virus is a naturally occurring strain among bats and not a bioweapon, it was being studied in the Wuhan lab and was eventually leaked by an intern.
Donald Trump seeks origin of Coronavirus
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met on April 9 through video conference to discuss the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis but the meet ended without any concrete outcomes.
At the UNSC meeting, USA called for an analysis of the origins of Coronavirus, in an obvious dig at China, while the latter insisted that no country should be made a scapegoat and called for global solidarity in the wake of the pandemic. SG Anthony Gutierres’s call for a global ceasefire received no support and the only thing the UNSC agreed on was on press elements post the meet.
“The United States reiterates today the need for complete transparency and the timely sharing of public health data and information within the international community. The most effective way to contain this pandemic is through accurate, science-based data collection and analysis of the origins, characteristics, and spread of the virus,” Ambassador Kelly Craft said in her remarks on the disease.
