Virus rocks already strained ties between U.S., China

Harsh accusations, name-calling between two sides amid pandemic

WASHINGTON» Badly strained ties between the United States and China are deteriorating further with the two sides hurling harsh accusations and bitter name-calling over responsibility for the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The global pandemic is just one in a series of irritants that has rocked the relationship between Washington and Beijing since the Trump administration began to step up long-simmering confrontations on issues ranging from territory to trade to high-tech telecommunications.

The virus, however, has exposed an even deeper rift, one that widened yet again on Tuesday when China announced the expulsion of several American journalists. The move underscored the growing mutual mistrust and hostility between the world’s two largest economies. Since the virus has spread, President Donald Trump and his top aides, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have increasingly criticized China, noting consistently that the outbreak was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. They have also referred to the virus as the “Wuhan virus” or the “Chinese virus,” disregarding World Health Organization terminology that avoids identifying it by geography.

On Wednesday, Trump again defended linking the virus to China just hours after repeatedly calling the virus the “Chinese Virus” on Twitter.

“It’s not racist at all. No, not at all. It comes from China,” Trump told reporters. “That’s why. It comes from China. I want to be accurate.”

At a State Department news conference on Tuesday, Pompeo called the virus the “Wuhan virus” six times and suggested the Chinese are attempting to distract the world from the shortcomings of its initial response by highlighting its tough measures that have helped contain the outbreak. Pompeo also suggested that an “after action” report would corroborate his claim, indicating that the tensions are unlikely to end when the pandemic is over.