>China has reacted angrily after US President Donald Trump referred to the coronavirus as “Chinese”.
A foreign ministry spokesman warned the US should “take care of its own business” before stigmatising China. The first cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.
However, last week a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman shared a conspiracy theory, alleging the US Army had brought it to the region.
The unfounded accusation led US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to demand China stop spreading “disinformation” as it tried “to shift blame” for the outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against linking the virus to any particular area or group, due to the risk of stigmatisation. However, a number of US administration officials have referred to it as the Chinese virus. Meanwhile, Mr Pompeo has repeatedly referred to the “Wuhan virus”.
