WASHINGTON (AP)– U.S. officials believe China covered the extent of the coronavirus outbreak— and how infectious the disease is– to stock up on medical products required to react to it, intelligence files show.
Chinese leaders “deliberately hid the intensity” of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security intelligence report dated May 1 and acquired by The Associated Press. The revelation comes as the Trump administration has actually intensified its criticism of China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying Sunday that nation was accountable for the spread of illness and need to be held liable.
The sharper rhetoric accompanies administration critics saying the federal government’s action to the virus was sluggish and insufficient. President Donald Trump‘s political opponents have accused him of blasting China, a geopolitical opponent but critical U.S. trade partner, in an attempt to deflect criticism in the house.
Not categorized but marked “for main use only,” the DHS analysis mentions that, while minimizing the intensity of the coronavirus, China increased imports and reduced exports of medical materials. It tried to cover doing so by “denying there were export limitations and obfuscating and postponing provision of its trade information,” the analysis states.
The report likewise says China held off notifying the World Health Organization that the coronavirus “was a contagion” for m