Pompeo presses Chinese counterpart for needed medical supplies

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressed China’s top diplomat on Wednesday to ensure the timely delivery of needed medical supplies to the U.S. in the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Pompeo, speaking with Yang Jiechi, director of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China, also stressed the need for Beijing to be transparent and share its data surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, according to State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus.

“The Secretary stressed the need for full transparency and information sharing to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent future outbreaks,” Ortagus said in a statement.

“He also noted the aid the American people delivered to the people of China in January — and continue to offer — and the high importance we attach to China’s facilitation of medical supply exports to meet critical demand in the United States.”

About 9 percent of U.S. imports of pharmaceutical and medical equipment, products and supplies come from China, according to the Congressional Research Service.

In February, the U.S. provided about 17.8 tons of medical equipment to China, including masks, gowns, gauze and respirators, and offered about $100 million in assistance, although it’s unclear if that delivery was ever made or accepted.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been rising over the coronavirus as Republicans criticize Beijing for not providing more information about how the disease was hitting its country.

Officials from the two countries have traded barbs, with Pompeo and President Trump at times referring to it as the “China” or “Wuhan” virus, and a Chinese official falsely blaming the outbreak on the U.S. military.

The virus first broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan.  

While Pompeo has retreated from calling it the “Wuhan virus,” he has suggested that China will have to take responsibility in some measure.

“There will be a time — and that time is not too far off — there will be a time when the world will get to see which countries performed well, which countries created risk and imposed costs,” he said in an interview Tuesday with Chris Salcedo, a conservative Texas radio host.

“I’m very confident that this administration will lead the way in holding both those countries and the individuals responsible for it accountable.”

Trump on Tuesday announced a halt in funding for the World Health Organization in part over claims of bias toward China and its failure to hold Beijing accountable for the disease spread.