China will pay a big price for coronavirus pandemic: Donald Trump

'China's total lack of transparency and mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, millions of jobs and left untold economic destruction. Sadly, this isn't new behaviour for China'

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has warned that China will have to "pay a big price" for the spread of coronavirus globally. Less than 50 hours after he returned to the White House from a military hospital where he was treated for the deadly virus, Trump in a video posted on Twitter from the Rose Garden outside the Oval Office blamed China for the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The deadly coronavirus originated from the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and spread across the world, killing 1,054,674 and infecting 36,077,017. The US is the worst-hit nation with 211,793 deaths and 7,549,429 infections.

"It wasn't your fault that this happened. It was China's fault. And China's going to pay a big price for what they've done to this country. China is going to pay a big price for what they've done to the world. This was China's fault. Just remember that," Trump said in the video message.

Though the president did not give the details of the measures, in recent months the Trump administration has initiated several actions against China, including imposing visa restrictions on the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have also been reaching out to their counterparts across the world against China.

Donald Trump, 74, and First Lady Melania Trump, 50, tested positive for COVID-19 last week. The president was taken to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre for treatment, while the First Lady remained at White House. After four days, Trump was discharged from the hospital on Monday.

On Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee released its final report on the origins of COVID-19. "The big takeaway should come as no surprise: China actively lied to the World Health Organisation and did their best to cover up the virus," Congressman Brian Mast claimed.

"China's total lack of transparency and mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, millions of jobs and left untold economic destruction. Sadly, this isn't new behaviour for China. The CCP has a long history of manipulation and it's well-past time we hold them accountable for their crimes. Together, we must ensure that nothing like this ever happens again!" he said.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have spiralled downward since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The two countries have also sparred over China imposing a new national security law in Hong Kong, restrictions on American journalists, treatment of Uyghurs Muslims and security measures in Tibet.

Meanwhile, US Senator Rick Scott in a letter to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has urged to immediately consider and pass his resolution condemning the human rights violations in China. (Agencies)

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