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Published 16:15 IST, July 1st 2020

"More and more angry at China": US President Trump says "people can see it, I can feel it"

As Coronavirus cases in the United States reached 2,727,853 with 130,122 fatalities, President Donald Trump has said that he is 'more and more angry' at China

Reported by: Navashree Nandini
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As Coronavirus cases in the United States reached 2,727,853 with 130,122 fatalities, President Donald Trump has said that he is 'more and more angry' at China. Trump has been blaming China for hiding the outbreak and potential of Coronavirus. On Wednesday, taking to Twitter, he said that as the ugly face of the spread of the virus unfolds worldwide, he can feel the ire against China. Trump said that the virus has done 'tremendous' damage to USA, which makes him angry.

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US vs China

The US has amped its attack on China after the outbreak of the pandemic even as negotiations are on to solve the trade war between both the countries. On Tuesday, soon after the Indian government banned 59 Chinese Apps, the US designated two Chinese companies- Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation as "national security threats". Moreover, US announced that it will ban defence exports to Hong Kong as China passed the controversial Hong Kong national security law.

Amid rising tensions between India and China, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he has spoken with European Union (EU) Foreign Ministers about the "provocative military actions" of the Chinese Army. He asserted that Washington will make sure it is postured appropriately to counter People's Liberation Army (PLA) in view of the threat from Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to India, Vietnam and other countries.

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READ | US designates Huawei & ZTC as national security threat, cites link to China's ruling party

Coronavirus outbreak

China has been facing worldwide criticism after the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus which has so far claimed 513,913 lives and 10,585,152 people have been infected. It is under the scanner for hiding the outbreak of COVID-19, with some reports suggesting that infection related to the virus may have started as early as in August in China.

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Another report by US media suggested that the COVID-19 virus might have leaked from lab in Wuhan. It claimed that the initial transmission of the virus was bat-to-human and the "patient zero" worked at the laboratory where it was being studied - the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The United States has also called for an investigation on the outbreak of the virus and has pulled out its funding from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for siding with China. 

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Even as the World Health Organization throughout January, publicly praised China for what it called a speedy response to the new coronavirus, news agency AP reported that China significantly delayed the release of information about the virus. Alleging that the UN body sided with China, the Donald Trump administration stopped US funding to the WHO and since then has been vocal about a thorough investigation of the outbreak of virus by China.

Moreover, on Tuesday, a new strain of flu has been identified in China by scientists, as per reports. Scientists say that the virus is carried by pigs, but can infect humans and has the potential to become a pandemic. The new flu strain is similar to the 2009 swine flu, but with some new changes. Called as G4 EA H1N1, scientists say that the available flu vaccine might not be able to provide immunity from the virus. China has acknowledged this pressure from the US, hitting out at US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and calling the situation a 'Cold War'.

READ | New virus with pandemic potential found in China even as Covid-19 reigns worldwide

09:07 IST, July 1st 2020