China could face consequences if knowingly responsible for virus: Trump

WASHINGTON (REUTERS): The United States President Donald Trump has warned China that it could face consequences if it was “knowingly responsible” for the coronavirus pandemic.

In a daily White House briefing, Donald Trump said, “It could have been stopped in China before it started and it wasn’t, and the whole world is suffering because of it.”

The US President said, “If it was a mistake, a mistake is a mistake, but if they were knowingly responsible, yeah, I mean, then surely there should be consequences.” However, Trump didn’t elaborate on what actions the United States might take.

He further said that until recently the US-China relationship had been good, citing a multi-billion agricultural agreement. “Then all of a sudden you hear about this,” he said.

“Was it a mistake that got out of control or was it done deliberately?” he asked. “That’s a big difference between those two,” he added.

Trump and senior aides have accused China of a lack of transparency after the coronavirus broke out late last year in its city of Wuhan. He also cast doubt on official Chinese figures showing the country has suffered just 0.33 deaths per 100,000 people.

Earlier this week Donald Trump suspended aid to the World Health Organisation accusing it of being “China-centric.”