US attacks Xi Jinping directly; accuses China's President of failing on Covid transparency

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday slammed China for making 'empty promises' at the China-Africa Summit last week. According to him, China's President Xi Jinping has "failed to promise real transparency and accountability" for Beijing's role in "unleashing" the Coronavirus. He further added that Xi was not putting "lives front and centre" when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) "hid the truth" about COVID-19 from the world until it was too late.

Pompeo further stated that the US noted China's commitment to "earnestly" implement the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). "Most US foreign assistance, by contrast, comes in the form of grants rather than loans, in order to promote transparent, private sector-led economic growth that benefits all parties. Public disclosure of official loans helps hold governments accountable for their decisions and prevent corruption -- behaviour that deprives citizens of opportunities and undermines national sovereignty," he added. 

According to Pompeo, the CCP needs to move beyond vague public statements and should start to "fully and transparently" implement the DSSI in accordance with its G20 commitments."The US remains Africa's most committed partner in promoting transparency and combatting the scourge of infectious disease. Empty promises and misleading propaganda will not help get us closer to the truth," he said. 

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US-China tensions

The tensions between the United States and China started with US President Donald Trump and his administration claiming that COVID-19 is a man-made disease and it emerged at a virology laboratory in Wuhan. However, China had claimed that there is no evidence to suggest that the virus originated at a seafood market in Wuhuan.

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Trump has been blowing hot and cold on China since before he became President. From basing a part of his campaign on stopping China's purportedly inexorable rise to becoming the world's biggest economy, to his constant back-and-forths about the trade deal with China, as well as his attacks on Huawei. However, tensions have reached unprecedented levels, given the US is the country worst hit by Coronavirus and amid China's larger neighbourhood aggression. 

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(With ANI Inputs)