Published 16:25 IST, March 22nd 2020
Trump accuses China of being 'very secretive' about coronavirus outbreak
US President Donald Trump has criticized China for being ‘very secretive’ about the coronavirus outbreak and not giving the world a warning.
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US President Donald Trump has criticised China for being ‘very secretive’ about the coronavirus outbreak. According to reports, Trump has also claimed that the United States and the world would have better prepared if China had given the world ‘advanced warning’ about the impending crisis. Trump made the comments during a press conference on March 21.
'Disappointed' with China
As per reports, Trump has denied reports that US intelligence had not been warned about the coronavirus in January and February. Trump further claimed that America only found out about the virus when it came out publicly. President Trump claimed that China was not at all a beneficiary of the coronavirus epidemic and that they had gone through hell but he wishes that China would have been more open and shared information about the virus earlier.
As per reports, Trump has been holding news briefings with the press almost every day and each of those press briefings has lasted more than an hour. Trump told reporters that he shares a very good relationship with President Xi Jinping of China but had been very disappointed that Beijing was ‘dishonest’ and ‘slow’ in alerting the world about the virus.
Trump has repeatedly reiterated that the US did not know about the virus until it became public knowledge and that he did not ignore warnings from intelligence services. Former National Security Advisor John Bolton in a recent tweet has held China responsible for the coronavirus epidemic.
China silenced coronavirus whistleblowers, expelled journalists, destroyed samples, refused CDC help, and concealed counts of deaths and infections. It's fact there was a massive coverup. China is responsible. The world must act to hold them accountable.
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) March 21, 2020
The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has claimed more than 13,069 lives across the world and has infected over 308,463 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. The United States has reported over 26,000 cases and almost 400 coronavirus deaths.
16:25 IST, March 22nd 2020