US President Donald Trump has fired off another missive targeting China, arguing the country could have “easily” stopped the Covid-19 pandemic and is now waging an information war to escape responsibility.
Trump lashed out at Beijing in a flurry of messages on Twitter, apparently in response to the recent statement by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who accused the US leader of “trying to mislead the public, smear China’s efforts and shift the blame of US incompetence” in handling the Covid-19 outbreak on China.
Zhao’s comment followed a White House letter sent to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, which threatened to permanently halt American funding if the agency didn’t make substantial, but unspecified, improvements. The spokesman called on the international community to continue supporting the agency.
While Trump is a known brawler when it comes to his political rivals at home, direct personal attacks on foreign diplomats – saying Zhao spoke “stupidly” – are less common for him. The president has devoted more than one Twitter rant to China’s handling of the pandemic before, but Wednesday night’s condemnation was perhaps his most strongly-worded attack to date.
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