Xi Jinping offers to help Trump fight Covid-19
(Baonghean.vn) - In a phone call on March 27, Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump that the other side could receive China's help in the fight against Covid-19. This offer was made when the US faced the risk of becoming the world's new pandemic center.
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| Cardboard replicas of Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi wearing anti-Covid-19 masks are displayed in front of a shop in Moscow, Russia. Photo: Reuters |
The United States now has more coronavirus cases than any other country, with 84,946 positive cases and 1,259 deaths. Hospitals in cities like New York and New Orleans are at risk of being overwhelmed as they try to cope with the influx of patients.
Xi Jinping's offer of support comes as Beijing and Washington are engaged in a long-running war of words over many issues, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Trump and some US officials have accused China of a lack of transparency about the new strain of the virus, and Trump has repeatedly referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” because it first appeared in the country. The move by the White House boss has angered the government in Beijing.
During the phone call, according to information posted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mr. Xi reiterated to Mr. Trump that China was open and transparent about the pandemic.
For his part, Mr. Trump said on Twitter that he had discussed the Covid-19 epidemic “in great detail” with Mr. Xi. “China has experienced much and understands this virus. We are working closely together. Much appreciated!”, Trump wrote.
In a related development, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently confirmed that the US is expected to become the epicenter of the pandemic, after witnessing 17,099 new infections and 281 deaths in just the previous 24 hours.
