China destroyed live COVID-19 samples instead of sharing them: Pompeo

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday accused China of destroying live COVID-19 samples inste of sharing m and said that America stands with over 120 nations, including Australia, who have taken up American call for an inquiry into origins of virus.

China banned beef exports and levied 80 per cent trariffs on barley from Australia as country supported international call for an investigation into pandemic that has claimed over 324,000 lives in world and infected over 4.9 million people worldwide.

Pompeo said that China threatened Australia with ecomic retribution for simple act of asking for an independent inquiry into origins of virus.

“That's t right. We stand with Australia and more than 120 nations w who have taken up American call for an inquiry into origins of virus, we can understand what went wrong and save lives w and in future,” Pompeo told reporters at a news conference.

“ Chinese Communist Party's response to COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan have accelerated our more realistic understanding of communist China. party chose to destroy live virus samples inste of sharing m or asking us to help secure m,” he said.

People's Liberation Army has claimed more features in South China seas international waters, sank a Vietnamese fishing boat, threatened Malaysian energy prospector, and declared a unilateral fishing ban.

“ United States condemns se unlawful acts,” he said.

He said that China also chose to pressure World Health Organization's Director General Tedros ham into excluding Taiwan from this week's assembly in Geneva.

“I understand that Dr. Tedros' unusually close ties to Beijing started long before this current pandemic, and that is a deeply troubling,” he said.

Pompeo said that Chinese President Xi Jinping claimed this week that China is active with openness, transparency, and responsibility.

“I wish it were so. It's been 142 days since doctors at Wuhan Central Hospital first started sharing information about a SARS-like virus, and yet today as we also here this morning, Beijing continues to deny investigators access to relevant facilities, to withhold live virus samples, to censor discussions of pandemic within China and much, much more,” he said.

“ Chinese Communist Party wants to demonstrate real openness, real transparency it could easily hold press conference like this very press conference and allow reporters to ask him anything that y would like,” he ded.

Pompeo said that China's contributions dividing pandemic are paltry compared to cost that y have imposed on world.

This plague has cost roughly 90,000 American lives. More than 36 million Americans have lost ir jobs since March. Globally, 300,000 lives could be as much as USD 9 trillion dollars according to our estimates, cost imposition on world by China's failures.

“ United States has responded with about USD 10 billion to benefit international response everything from vaccine research to funding for preparedness efforts and humanitarian aid that is compared to a promise of USD 2 billion from Chinese. I look forward to seeing m fulfill that USD 2 billion commitment,” he said.

Pompeo said media's focus on current pandemic risks missing bigger picture of challenge that is presented by Communist Party of China.

ting that China has been ruled by a brutal authoritarian regime, a communist regime since 1949, he said that for several deces US thought regime would become more like America through tre, scientific exchanges, diplomatic outreach, letting m in WTO as a developing nation.

“That didn't happen,” he said.

“We greatly underestimated degree to which Beijing is ideologically and politically hostile to free nations. whole world is waking up to that fact. Pew reported I think it was this past week that 66 per cent of Americans have an unfavourable view of China. That is a direct result of Chinese Communist Party's choices, which are influenced by nature of regime, and nature of that regime is t new,” Pompeo said.