Mike Pompeo Faces Severe Backlash From China For Spreading Coronavirus 'Lies'

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has drawn severe backlash from the Chinese Communist Party on the grounds of “spreading lies.”

“The Global Times” Newspaper, which is a CCP’s publication, ran an explosive editorial on Tuesday, which accused Pompeo of being “a degenerate politician and despicable from the perspective of religion.” The allegations come amid an intensified mudslinging battle between Washington and Beijing ever since theories surrounding the origin of COVID-19 outbreak surfaced.

Pompeo, who has time and again been lauded as a staunch Trump loyalist, has expressed confidence in how the origin of the coronavirus outbreak can be traced to Wuhan Institute of Virology. Despite there being no concrete evidence that testifies the same, president Donald Trump and Pompeo have repeatedly stuck to the assertion. While a further probe by the U.S. intelligence officials is underway, it is believed that the body has in a way maintained that the virus isn’t man-made nor is it genetically modified.

“The Global Times” report also mentioned that Pompeo had exploited the beliefs of Evangelical Christians, who placed their trust in the Republican party. "His lying for political purposes is contrary to his label as a so-called 'devout Christian,” stated the report, in the publication, while dismissing any link between the WIV and the outbreak.

Currently, the U.S. stands among the countries which are the hardest hit by the pandemic. Over 1.1 million Americans have been infected, while 69,000 deaths have been reported in the coronavirus outbreak. Chinese officials who have time and again slammed the allegations put forth by the U.S. have maintained that the aforementioned allegations and conspiracy theories surrounding the origin of the novel coronavirus are just a ploy by the Trump administration to deflect its own shortcomings and mismanagement in handling the global health crisis.

In fact, researchers continue to stick by the dominant theory based on how coronavirus originated at a seafood market in Wuhan, which sold live wildlife alongside food. As per this theory, the spread occurred due to an apparent jump of the virus from bats to humans through an intermediary animal such as pangolins.

China, however, also faces international hostility and severed trade ties due to the allegations surrounding the country’s deliberate efforts to downplay the severity of the pandemic during its initial stages. China has also been accused of silencing the whistle-blowers and failing to warn the international community at the onset of this.