Coronavirus: Mike Pompeo urges China for ‘full transparency’ in call with top diplomat Yang Jiechi
- Discussion comes after Trump announced his decision to pull US funding from the World Health Organisation
- Pompeo has been one of the more vocal critics of the WHO and of China
Tensions continued to rise between Washington and Beijing with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressing China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi on Wednesday for full transparency in China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
The move comes just a day after President Donald Trump announced his decision to pull US funding from the World Health Organisation (WHO), accusing the UN body of being biased in favour of China.
Pompeo has been one of the more vocal critics of the WHO and of China, accusing Beijing of trying to cover up the coronavirus outbreak in its earliest days and continuing to share inaccurate data about the disease with the world.
“The Secretary stressed the need for full transparency and information sharing to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and prevent future outbreaks,” US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement about the call between Pompeo and Yang.
“[Pompeo] also noted the aid the American people delivered to the people of China in January – and continue to offer – and the high importance we attach to China’s facilitation of medical supply exports to meet critical demand in the United States.”
Even as the two countries’ relationship becomes strained, the United States remains dependent on imports of medical supplies from China.
According to the Congressional Research Service, about 9 per cent of the United States’ pharmaceutical and medical equipment imports in 2019 were from China.
With that in mind, Pompeo made clear to his counterpart the “high importance” Washington attached to China’s facilitation of medical exports during this pandemic.
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In China, state broadcaster CCTV reported that Yang called on his counterpart to focus on cooperation between the two superpowers, and hoped that their two countries could reach a compromise and improve their relationship.
The coronavirus, which originated in China in late 2019, has now infected more than 2 million people worldwide.
The United States has become the epicentre of the virus, with more than 25,000 people having died so far.
China has been the target of criticism over its earlier handling of the disease.
A report by Associated Press on Wednesday said that Beijing waited six full days before alerting the public that a likely epidemic was under way, allowing Lunar New Year’s celebrations – including millions of people travelling and tens of thousands hosted at a mass banquet – to continue unimpeded.
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Trump also has been accused of botching his response to the virus, moving slowly to lock down the country and politicising the disease in his attempts to blame China. His move to halt WHO funding has been met with widespread condemnation both at home and abroad.
“Withholding funds for WHO in the midst of the worst pandemic in a century makes as much sense as cutting off ammunition to an ally as the enemy closes in,” said Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat.
