Published 11:17 IST, March 17th 2020
US, China demand to stop blaming each other over coronavirus pandemic
The United States and China have escalated the war of words over COVID-19 after US President Donald Trump called the novel coronavirus as "Chinese Virus".
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The United States and China have escalated the war of words over coronavirus and demanded to should stop blaming each other for the global pandemic. US President Donald Trump calling COVID-19 as “Chinese Virus” has now raised several eyebrows since the World Health Organisation (WHO) has explicitly cautioned against it.
The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than ever before!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 16, 2020
While other US officials have called the novel coronavirus as “Wuhan Virus” or “Chinese Virus”, it’s the first time that the US President has flouted the WHO warning. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio slammed Trump for the controversial tweet and said that he doesn’t need to incite a backlash against the Asian-American communities as they are already suffering.
If you’re looking for someone to pin this crisis on, try the guy who made up a phony Google website or promised testing kits that he STILL hasn’t delivered.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 17, 2020
Our Asian-American communities — people YOU serve — are already suffering. They don’t need you fueling more bigotry. https://t.co/jjcO7treC2
Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a phone call with a top Chinese official Yang Jiechi, strongly objected China’s “efforts to shift blame” on the United States. According to the State Department, Pompeo stressed that this is not the time to spread “disinformation and outlandish rumours” but a time to fight together against the common threat.
'US army brought virus'
Pompeo’s strong reaction came after the tweet of a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson in which he insinuated that the “patient zero” may have come from the United States. Lijian Zhao shared a video clip of Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testifying to a US House Committed and said that it might be the US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan.
11:17 IST, March 17th 2020