lørdag 14. mars 2020

US State Department summons Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai amid anger over Beijing coronavirus comments

The US government summoned Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai to the State Department on Friday to protest Beijing’s suggestion that the US military brought the coronavirus to China. The assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, David Stilwell, gave a very “stern representation” of the US government’s position on the matter to Cui, who was “very defensive”, according to a State Department spokesman. “No threats, just frank diplomatic discourse.”

“China is seeking to deflect criticism for its role in starting a global pandemic and not telling the world,” the spokesman said. “Spreading conspiracy theories is dangerous and ridiculous. We wanted to put the government on notice we won’t tolerate it for the good of the Chinese people and the world.”