White House: China shut lab of Shanghai professor who revealed genetic code of COVID-19

Mounting another attack on China, the United States has restated that the Asian giant “mishandled the situation” of the coronavirus outbreak and cited Shanghai professor's lab being shut for revealing the pathogen's genetic code. The US along with some European and Western countries have been publically criticising China over spreading misinformation and delaying the global response to the pandemic along with the World Health Organisation. While US President Donald Trump indicated that the country would show retaliation to the Chinese government by imposing tariffs, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany reportedly said in his first press conference on May 1 that she “won’t get ahead of any announcements” from Trump. 

Further elaborating on her statement of China’s “mishandling” of the global health crisis, McEnany mentioned how the mainland refrained from sharing the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus until a professor in Shanghai took the decision on his own hands and revealed the gene code. However, according to the White House Press Secretary, the Chinese government shut the professor’s laboratory “for quote rectification”. McEnany also mentioned the “slow-walked” information about the human-to-human transmission of the deadly disease with WHO. Therefore, she concluded by saying that the US takes “displeasure with China’s actions”.

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McEnany said, “It's no secret that China mishandled this situation. Just a few examples for you; they did not share the genetic sequence until a professor in Shanghai did so on his own. The very next day China shut down his lab for quote rectification.”

“They slow-walked information on human to human transmission alongside the World Health Organization and didn't let US investigators in at a very important time,” she added.

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‘Certainly an option’

Meanwhile, while responding to a question related to sanctions on China, US President Donald Trump said that imposing tariffs on the mainland is “certainly an option” for retaliating over the handling of the outbreak. The US President strongly believes that the outbreak which went on to kill over 239,600 people around the world should have been contained in China, where it originated. The deadly COVID-19 disease has infected at least 3,401,231 people across the globe. As of May 1, the US has recorded 1,131,452 cases of coronavirus infections with 65,776 fatalities. However, Trump has not laid down the timeline of imposing taxes on China. 

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(With PTI inputs)