(Newswire.net— May 26, 2020) — Beijing – China and the United States are on the brink of a “new cold war,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned, and expressed regret over the renewed tensions with Washington due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Washington Post reports.
The United States should abandon its “wishful thinking about changing China” and stop pushing the two countries “to the brink of a new Cold War,” Wang Yi told reporters Sunday, adding that “China has no intention to change, still less replace, the United States.”
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has regularly accused Chinese authorities of being late in transmitting crucial data on the seriousness of the virus, the spread of which, according to him, could have been stopped with earlier warning from China.
“This dangerous attempt to turn back the will of history will undo the fruits of decades-long China-U.S. cooperation, dampen America’s own development prospects, and put world stability and prosperity in jeopardy,” the head of Chinese diplomacy told a selected group of reporters. In his address to reporters, Wang Yi cautiously avoided naming the US president.
Tensions between Beijing and Washington have been high for the past two years due to the trade war launched by Donald Trump, in which the two countries imposed additional tariffs on imported goods, which severely affected international trade.
The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated tensions between the two world powers to new heights.
Trump mentioned the possibility that he would ask Beijing to pay billions of dollars in damages for the damage caused by the pandemic, and the United States is seeking an international investigation into the origin of the virus.
Wang said China is “ready” for an international co-operation to identify the source of the new coronavirus, adding that such co-operation should be free of any political interference.
On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he supported a “comprehensive assessment” of the world’s response to the new coronavirus when the epidemic is eradicated. In a video message sent to the annual assembly of the World Health Organization, Xi Jinping rejected any failure of his country in managing the epidemic, stating that China has always been transparent and responsible for that issue.