How Will Trump Make China Pay ‘Big Time’ For COVID-19 Outbreak? Ideas Pour In As US Plans Retaliation

The pressure is mounting on the U.S. President Donald Trump to punish China over its irresponsible handling of coronavirus pandemic during the initial days of its outbreak in Wuhan. The Trump administration has long been accusing China of downplaying the nature of COVID-19, which has put millions of lives at risk.

Trump threatened China of new tariffs on Beijing considering the situation, further highlighting that the existing hard-to-crack trade deal with China is of secondary importance. The Trump administration prepared a list of retaliatory measures that the U.S. can potentially take against China over hiding the facts about the COVID-19 outbreak and not making information public on time.

The current situation in the U.S. due to COVID-19 is grain. More than a million people of the total three million infections in the world have been reported in the U.S. alone. COVID-19 outbreak has killed thousands of people in the country.

There is an increased tension among members of the Trump administration over the possibility of losing the November elections due to their failure to take the right steps against China at the right time.

Two members of the administration, who requested to stay anonymous, revealed recently that the members are discussing the possible steps and options against China that the country may decide to take for full-fledged retaliation. However, the discussions are still at an early stage and no recommendations have officially reached the president.

According to reports, the recommendations that are currently being considered for retaliation against China over COVID-19 include stripping the country of its sovereign immunity, which protects China against lawsuits filed by the U.S. citizens in any U.S. court.

Other measures currently under discussion include canceling interest payment on $1 trillion that the U.S. owes to China.

Trump, however, has been careful about releasing any information related to retaliation being planned by the government and has sounded extremely cautious in public about using these measures.

Some Trump advisors and allies within the administration, however, continue to push him to take strict actions as a part of the country’s retaliation against China.