Top U.S. and Chinese officials continued their sharp exchanges over the origins and response during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo persisted in his criticism of China on Wednesday for obscuring details and early signs of the coronavirus outbreak, as Beijing accused him of pushing an unverified theory that it began in a lab in Wuhan.
"Chinese communist party could do what they're committed to doing under their obligations to their world health organization to be transparent, to be opened, to do the simple things that nations all around the world do to make sure the pandemic like this doesn't get out of control. Other countries want more information about the virus outbreak in Wuhan, including Germany, Britain, and Australia. China should let the scientist come forward."
Meanwhile, in Beijing, China's far ministry once again denounced Pompeo for his remarks accusing him of playing domestic politics.
On Wednesday, Mike Pompeo exclaimed, "China is still refusing to share the information we need to keep people safe, such as viral isolates, clinical specimens, and details about the many COVID 19 patients. In December 2019, not to mention patients zero."
"It's not about politics but it's about saving lives. We do not know; we don't have certainty about whether it began in the lab or whether it began someplace else. There's an easy way to find out the answer to that. Transparency, openness, the kinds of things that nations do when they really want to be part of solving a global pandemic when they really want to participate in the things that keep human beings safe and get economies going back again."
"I think this matter should be handed to scientists and medical professionals and not politicians who lie for their own domestic political ends."
