WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th April, 2020) US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in a call with Chinese Foreign Affairs Director Yang Jiechi underscored the importance of transparency and information sharing in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19), State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a readout on Wednesday.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper in an interview earlier in the day accused China of continuing to withhold information on the coronavirus outbreak and called for greater pressure to make Beijing cooperate.
"The Secretary stressed the need for full transparency and information sharing to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent future outbreaks," Ortagus said. "He also noted the aid the American people delivered to the people of China in January - and continue to offer - and the high importance we attach to China's facilitation of medical supply exports to meet critical demand in the United States."
US officials, including President Donald Trump, have repeatedly accused China of attempting initially to cover-up the coronavirus outbreak and later launching a disinformation campaign to suggest that the virus may have originated in the United States.
As the spread of COVID-19 in China has slowed to a crawl, Beijing has taken a proactive role in shipping medical supplies, humanitarian aid and specialists to countries in need of help.
China's foreign ministry has said Beijing shared information on the epidemic with the World Health Organization and other countries, including the United States, in a timely manner.
