White House calls US-China relations 'disappointing, frustrating' amid virus outbreak

With tensions soaring between Beijing and Washington, White House Press Secretary said that the US-China relationship is marred with “disappointment and frustration”. The comment on Sino-US relations comes amidst the continuous blame game between the two nations over the coronavirus outbreak which has claimed more than 265,000 lives worldwide.

“Right now it is a relationship of disappointment and frustration. The president has said how frustrated he is at some of the decisions of China that put American lives at risk," said Kayleigh McEnany during a White House press briefing.

While the Chinese Embassy in Washington is yet to react to the latest remark, the ambassador called for an end to the “blame game” in his recent The Washington Post column. Ambassador Cui Tankai warned that accusing China over the virus outbreak could lead to the “decoupling” of the world’s two largest economies.

The Chinese envoy emphasised in his column that it is the time to focus on the disease and rebuild trust between the two countries. Cui’s reaction came after US President Donald Trump, along with his aides, launched an all-out attack on China over the handling of coronavirus and accused them of hiding facts for a long time.

Read: Top US General Says 'no Conclusive Evidence' On Origin Of Coronavirus

Pompeo claims 'significant' evidence

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said that there is a “significant amount” of evidence that the virus originated from a laboratory in Wuhan. Without mentioning any name, Cui denounced “conspiracy theories” about China’s geopolitical intentions in the aftermath of the virus outbreak. He also criticised the leaders demanding reparations and said that Wuhan was the first victim of coronavirus and it is ridiculous for asking compensation from a victim.

Last month, the Chinese envoy had taken a veiled swipe at Trump for making “groundless accusations” and ignoring scientific expertise. Speaking at a webcast event organised by Bloomberg News, Ambassador Cui Tiankai said that some politicians are so preoccupied with their efforts for stigmatisation and groundless accusations that they pay little attention to the views of the scientists.

Read: Mike Pompeo's Comment On Origin Of Coronavirus Remains 'speculative': WHO

(Image Credit: AP)