Trump ally submits bill to China for COVID-19 | Event

According to the newspaper South China Morning PostSenator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump, said on May 12 that he believed that if it weren’t for China’s “trickery,” the SARS-CoV-2 virus (which caused the COVID-19 virus) will not go. to the USA USA, where more than 80,000 Americans have been killed.

Graham, who is currently chairman of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, said China has refused to allow investigators to see how the outbreak began. “I think China will never cooperate with a serious investigation unless they are compelled to do so,” Graham said in a statement.

Senator Lindsey Graham. Photo: AFP

Critics of Trump, including several former officials, academics, and journalists, have said that while China has a lot to answer for, the U.S. administration appears to be trying to divert attention from what they see as a slow U.S. response to the COVID-19 epidemic crisis. .

Senator Graham said the COVID-19 Accountability Act he proposed would require the president to testify before Congress within 60 days that China “has provided a full and complete report for any COVID-19 investigation by States United, its allies or UN agencies like the World Health Organization. “

It also requires certification that China has closed all “wet markets,” which could put people at health risk and free all supporters of Hong Kong’s democracy. arrest during pandemic repressions.

The bill will authorize the president to impose a series of sanctions, including the freezing of assets, the travel ban and the cancellation of visas, as well as the restriction of loans from US institutions to Chinese companies and prohibiting Chinese companies from listing on the US stock exchanges. USA

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. South China Morning Post. However, Beijing has always maintained that it is transparent about the outbreak, which started in Wuhan City, the capital of China’s Hubei province.

President Trump and his Republican supporters have repeatedly accused Beijing of failing to warn the world about the severity and magnitude of the outbreak, which has had a severe economic impact. In addition to threatening Trump’s reelection opportunity in the United States presidential election in November.

Senator Tim Kaine of the Democratic Party, which controls the House of Representatives, said “bad things must have happened” in China, but said he needed to consider the whole story and that General Trump’s administration should not avoid scrutiny.

“First, put the story on the table and see what each person’s part is in this matter, to solve it, then we can decide on the responsibility” – Mr. Kaine, former deputy candidate President of the USA. USA 2016, speaking at an event hosted by the Meridien Center in Washington.

On May 11, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro threatened to retaliate against China for its role in the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing in an interview with radio. Fox News that Beijing “must receive a due invoice” on this.

On the same day, the US National Security Advisor. USA Robert O’Brien and National Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow recommended avoiding federal pension investments in Chinese companies because of “the possibility of sanctions.” Future (US) sanctions as a result of the deplorable actions of the Chinese government “related to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also hinted at future sanctions against China for the devastation caused by the COVID-19 epidemic on the global economy and human life.