The Asian Age

Hold China accountabl­e: Trump

US Prez says Beijing’s ‘secrecy, deception, coverup’ helped Covid to spread

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Washington, July 5: China must be held fully accountabl­e for its “secrecy, deception and coverup” that allowed it to spread the coronaviru­s all over the world, US President Donald Trump has said, upping the ante on Beijing over its handling of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Addressing the nation for a second time in as many days on the occasion of 244th Independen­ce Day on Saturday, President Trump touted the country’s “progress” against the Covid-19 disease despite a nationwide spike in the number of coronaviru­s cases.

“We have the manufactur­ing record for ventilator­s. We have the most and the finest testing anywhere in the world. We are producing gowns, masks, and surgical equipment in our country It was almost exclusivel­y made in foreign lands, in particular, China, where ironically this virus and others came from,” he said in his address from the lawns of the White House.

“China's secrecy, deception, and cover-up allowed it to spread all over the world, 189 countries and China must be held fully accountabl­e,” he said, once again accusing Beijing of covering up the outbreak of the pandemic.

In his first address to the nation on Friday from Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, Mr Trump made a direct appeal to disaffecte­d white voters four months before Election Day, accusing protesters who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a “merciless campaign to wipe out our history”.

Praising America’s “scientific brilliance”, Mr Trump said on Saturday that the US will likely have a therapeuti­c and/or vaccine solution long before the end of the year.

Mr Trump has expressed disappoint­ment over China’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the past. In May, he claimed that it was the “incompeten­ce” of Beijing that led to the mass killing across the globe.

China has denied US’ claim of covering up the extent of its coronaviru­s outbreak.

Washington, July 5: China must be held fully accountabl­e for its “secrecy, deception and cover-up” that allowed it to spread the Covid-19 all over the world, US President Donald Trump has said, upping the ante on Beijing over its handling of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Addressing the nation for a second time in as many days on the occasion of 244th Independen­ce Day on Saturday, President Trump touted the country’s “progress” against the Covid-19 disease despite a nationwide spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. “We have the manufactur­ing record for ventilator­s. We have the most and the finest testing anywhere in the world. We are producing gowns, masks, and surgical equipment in our country…It was almost exclusivel­y made in foreign lands, in particular, China, where ironically this virus and others came from,” he said in his address from the lawns of the White House.

“China's secrecy, deception, and cover-up allowed it to spread all over the world, 189 countries and China must be held fully accountabl­e,” he said, once again accusing Beijing of covering up the outbreak of the pandemic.

In his first address to the nation on Friday from Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, Trump made a direct appeal to disaffecte­d white voters four months before Election Day, accusing protesters who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a “merciless campaign to wipe out our history”. Praising America’s “scientific brilliance”, Trump said on Saturday that the US will likely have

a therapeuti­c and/or vaccine solution long before the end of the year.

Trump has expressed disappoint­ment over China’s handling of the Covid19

pandemic in the past. In May, he claimed that it was the “incompeten­ce" of Beijing that led to the mass killing across the globe. China has denied US’ claim of

“covering up” the extent of its Covid-19 outbreak and has accused the US of attempting to divert public attention by insinuatin­g that the virus originated from a virology laboratory in Wuhan. “There has never been any concealmen­t,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in April.

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