Pompeo calls China virus response ‘paltry’ compared to damage done

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took fresh aim at China over the coronavirus on Wednesday, calling the $2 billion that Beijing has pledged to fight the pandemic “paltry” compared to the hundreds of thousands of lives lost and trillions of dollars of damage.

“President Xi claimed this week that China is acting with openness, transparency responsibility. I wish it were so,” Pompeo told a State Department news conference, charging that Beijing continued to withhold virus samples and access to facilities, to censor discussion, “and much, much more.”

“I look forward to seeing them fulfill that $2 billion commitment,” Pompeo said. “China’s contributions to fighting the pandemic are paltry compared to the cost that they have imposed on the world.”