US President Donald Trump announced yesterday that he was considering imposing punitive duties on China, after he said he had seen evidence indicating that the new Corona virus, originating from a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan, had recently been accused of lacking transparency.
In response to a White House reporter who asked if he had seen evidence to make him seriously believe that the Wuhan Virus Institute was the source of the Corona pandemic, Trump said, "Yes." "It was something that could have been contained in the place of origin. "I think it could have been contained very easily."
The US President did not specify what evidence he had seen in this context, but indicated that he might impose punitive "customs duties" on China.
In response to another question about the possibility that the United States will not repay its debts to China, in a retaliatory measure, Trump said, "I can do this differently, by imposing customs taxes," as he had previously done during the trade dispute between his country and Beijing.
Trump has often attacked China since the start of the pandemic, which has greatly weakened the US economy.
It should be noted that US intelligence agencies concluded in a statement that the emerging corona virus was "not manmade or genetically modified", but says it is still studying whether the outbreak originated in a Chinese laboratory.
"The intelligence community also agrees with the widespread scientific consensus that the Covid-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified," the director of the US National Intelligence Bureau, which oversees the 17 US intelligence services, said in a statement.
"The intelligence community will actively continue to closely examine emerging and intelligence information to determine whether the outbreak has started through contact with infected animals, or whether it was the result of an accident in a laboratory in Wuhan," the statement added.
The first infection was associated with an animal market in Wuhan, where experts believe the virus comes from bats and may have spread through another host animal.
For his part, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday that he does not know "accurately" where the epidemic started.
"We don't know if it came from the Wuhan Virus Institute," he said in an interview with a local radio. We don’t know if it came from the Wuhan market or even somewhere else. ”
"We don't have those answers, and that's why President Trump has made clear that we need to get it," the foreign minister added.
The sharpening of Trump's remarks against China reflects his growing frustration with Beijing over the pandemic, which alone cost the United States the lives of tens of thousands, caused economic downturns and threatened chances of re-election in November.
Two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a range of options against China was under discussion, but they cautioned that those efforts were still in the early stages. An official told Reuters that the recommendations had not yet reached the level of the Trump's national security team or the president.
"There is a debate about how difficult it is to strike China and how to properly calibrate it," Washington said, as Washington moves on a tightrope in its ties with Beijing, while it imports personal protective equipment and is concerned about harming a delicate trade agreement.