WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Antony Blinken has informed Beijing of the maltreatment of the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, calling the lack of transparency after hearing of the first cases of the virus a “serious problem”.
In response to a question on NBC News’ ‘Today,’ Blinken accused China of failing to comply with its international obligations to provide information on the origins of the Wuhan outbreak in late 2019, which the Chinese communist government would cover up.
“There is no doubt that especially when COVID-19 first struck, but even today, China is lagging far behind when it comes to providing the information it needs to the international community to ensure that experts have access to China, “said Blinken. .
“All that lack of transparency, that lack of awareness is a big problem,” he continued.
The comments are the latest salvo between China and the Biden administration, which critics accused Beijing of being soft following the Trump administration’s hardline.
During his Senate confirmation hearings, Blinken supported Pastor Mike Pompeo’s statement that the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims amounted to “genocide”.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs rebuked Blinken in a statement last week, accusing him of “interfering in his internal affairs and undermining his interests.”
In his “Today” interview, Blinken also chided the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin for cracking down on protesters protesting the recent arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The State Department chief said he was “deeply concerned by the violent crackdown” and revealed that the US was reviewing possible responses to the Kremlin’s mass arrest of protesters.
“The Russian government is making a big mistake if it thinks this is about us,” Blinken said after Moscow warned Washington against imposing new sanctions.
‘It’s about them. It’s about the government. It’s about the frustration that the Russian people have with corruption, with autocracy, and I think they should look inward, not outward, ”he said.
Speaking with Putin last week, Biden rebuked his “malicious actions” and asked him to release Navalny, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
“The president could not have been clearer in his conversation with President Putin,” Blinken said.