U.S. accuses China of hiding facts about emergence of COVID-19

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that his government was trying to determine whether the novel coronavirus COVID-19 that has much of the word in lockdown originated from a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan city.

On Tuesday, U.S. intelligence agencies declared that the virus probably had originated naturally and had not been created in a Chinese laboratory, however, there is no confirmation of either possibility, U.S. Army General Mark A. Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo clarified the U.S. stance to senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi about the need for full transparency and exchange of information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yang told Pompeo that it is important for Washington and Beijing to properly manage their relations during the outbreak of the coronavirus, expressing his hope that the U.S. will cooperate with China and help boost bilateral relations.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper reiterated Pomeo’s statements, saying in a television interview on Wednesday that China is still hiding information related to the coronavirus pandemic, needed to curb the virus globally, calling on Beijing to exchange data.