An article by NBC said, ” U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of its coronavirus outbreak while stockpiling crucial medical supplies, slashing exports of surgical face masks and other items needed to respond to the pandemic, according to a U.S. intelligence document obtained.”
The report by the Department of Homeland Security intelligence service found that China initially delayed informing the World Health Organization that the coronavirus “was a contagion.”
First off, several months before the coronavirus pandemic began, the Trump administration eliminated a key American public health position in Beijing that was intended to help detect disease outbreaks in China.
Politico said, “Peter Baker of The New York Times tweeted that “Trump has found a new villain for the coronavirus pandemic.”
In my opinion, there seems to be little reason to believe that China has been forthcoming, but perhaps it would have been more opaque of the who had not worn kid gloves. Politics and diplomacy can be very messy.
I don’t know why people are so mad China. When Trump also cut funding for the CDC, forcing the CDC to cancel its efforts to help countries prevent infectious-disease threats from becoming epidemics in 39 of 49 countries in 2018.
Sources:
Opinion: Blaming the WHO and China Is Not Scapegoating. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/04/08/who-china-trump-coronavirus-176242
Williams, A., Luce, D. D., & Press, A. (2020, May 4). DHS report: China hid coronavirus’ severity in order to hoard medical supplies. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/dhs-report-china-hid-coronavirus-severity-order-hoard-medical-supplies-n1199221
Sy Barnes 