Trump faults China for coronavirus' spread, says US investigating

US President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at the White House in Washington on April 27, 2020. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - US President Donald Trump said on Monday (April 27) that China could have stopped the coronavirus before it swept the globe and said his administration was conducting "serious investigations" into what happened.

"We're doing very serious investigations... We are not happy with China," Mr Trump said at a White House news conference.

"There are a lot of ways you can hold them accountable."

"We believe it could have been stopped at the source. It could have been stopped quickly and it wouldn't have spread all over the world."

Mr Trump's criticism was the latest from his administration to target China's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, which began late last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has grown into a global pandemic which has killed more than 210,000 people around the world, including more than 56,000 in the United States, according to a Reuters tally.

Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States "strongly believed" Beijing failed to report the outbreak in a timely manner and covered up how dangerous the respiratory illness caused by the virus was.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing that some US politicians were lying to deflect attention from their insufficient response to the virus at home.

He did not specifically refer to Trump or Pompeo.

"Attempts to shift the blame on China will not denigrate China's efforts in responding to the virus," Geng said.

Earlier on Monday, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro accused China of sending low-quality and even counterfeit coronavirus antibody testing kits to the United States and of"profiteering" from the pandemic.

Navarro, an outspoken critic of Beijing whom Trump has appointed to work on supply-line issues relating to the health crisis, said more testing both for the virus and antibodies was vital to getting Americans currently in lockdown back to work.

"That's where, perhaps, we can find people who are immune, that can be in the workplace in a more safe environment. But we can't have China, for example, bringing in those fake tests and counterfeit tests, because that's going to be very disruptive," Navarro said in an interview on Fox News.

"There's a lot of these antibody tests coming in from China now that are low quality, false readings and things like that," he said.

The United States is heavily reliant on China for basic equipment and drugs.

Asked about Navarro's comments, Geng said that the White House adviser was a habitual liar with no credibility, in line with previous comments by China.

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