Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told “Bill Hemmer Reports” on Thursday that the Chinese government “was aware of the person-to-person transmission of” the coronavirus “before sharing this with the world.”
Hemmer had asked Pompeo to comment on the claims of Hong Kong-based virologist Dr. Yan Li-Meng, who recently fled to the United States, that Beijing knew the virus could spread among humans three weeks before that this knowledge be made public.
Pompeo added Thursday that “the World Health Organization itself was co-opted in the same effort to deny the world the knowledge it needed to respond to this threat, this threat from the virus emanating from Wuhan, China.”
The secretary of state joined Hemmer a day after telling The Hill during a virtual summit that he believes the rest of the world will make China “pay a price” for its mishandling of the initial outbreak.
POMPEO: CHINA “WILL PAY A PRICE” FOR THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
“I can see nations that are doing business in China and are reconsidering how to do it,” he told Hemmer on Thursday. “If you are buying products that are the result of the slave labor that is taking place in the western part of China, if you are a country that bowed to China because they tried to fish in its waters that are exactly theirs … I can see nations from all over the world that reaffirm its claims, its sovereignty.
“And, of course, President Trump has also done that here,” added Pompeo. “For 40 years, this is non-partisan, Bill, for 40 years, we have had administrations that have simply looked the other way and allowed China to trample on us. President Trump said, ‘No more.'”
Pompeo noted that Japan and Australia have supported the United States’ decision to reject most of Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL REJECT MOST CHINESE CLAIMS TO WATERS IN THE SOUTHERN CHINA SEA, POMPEO SAYS
“Countries, not just in Southeast Asia, but in Asia in general … have come to understand the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party. The United States slept on this for too long. I think they all did it too, and I think We are coming to a joint conclusion that it is time for the world to make sure we do it right.For democracies and freedom-loving people around the world, it is imperative that we reject the challenge presented by the Chinese Communist Party. to all of us “.
Pompeo also told Hemmer that there will soon be “a significant troop reduction” in Afghanistan as the conflict approaches its 19th anniversary.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We hope that we will begin the peace and reconciliation negotiations in the coming weeks,” he said. “If we can do that, we will have taken a good turn to Afghanistan, we will have all our boys and girls at home, and we will also ensure the safety of the American homeland. This has been the mission of President Trump. This is the way he thinks of keep America safe. “
