Beijing Expresses Protest as Trump Accuses China Again of COVID-19 Spread in UNGA Address

BEIJING (Sputnik) – The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed on Wednesday protest against US President Donald Trump’s new COVID-19-related accusations, voiced in his address for the United Nations General Assembly.

In his speech, Trump blamed the Chinese government again for the global spread of the coronavirus. The US leader accused Beijing and the World Health Organisation, which he said is “virtually controlled by China”, of falsely declaring there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission and of transmission by asymptomatic carriers. Trump also called on the UN to “hold China accountable”.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the 75th annual U.N. General Assembly, which is being held mostly virtually due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., September 22, 2020.

The US President repeatedly claimed that Beijing was concealing information about the pandemic, stating that “China had far more deaths” than the United States, which Chinese authorities denied.

The first reports about the pandemic in Wuhan, Hubei Province appeared at the very end of 2019, with the start of the outbreak being linked to a local market.

The WHO announced its emergency declaration on 30 January, urging countries to impose anti-coronavirus measures to curb the disease. The US, however, said the organisation helped China to cover the information, and pulled out of the WHO, redirecting its funds.

Sourse: sputniknews.com