Republican on US Foreign Affairs Committee Releases Report Accusing China of COVID Cover-Up Ahead of Presidential Election

People wearing protective suits are walking through a market in Wuhan, China, last April.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Republican members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee released a report strongly criticizing the Chinese Communist Party and the World Health Organization (WHO), accusing China of covering up the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

On the 21st (local time), political media outlet The Hill reported that Republican members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee supported U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that the pandemic could have been prevented if China had not concealed information related to COVID-19, through a 96-page report.

The Republican lawmakers pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) did not comply with the International Health Regulations (IHR) and failed to transparently disclose the outbreak of COVID-19. They stated, "In short, the COVID-19 pandemic could have been prevented if the Communist Party had acted transparently and responsibly."

In particular, they claimed that evidence was destroyed during the closure and quarantine process of the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, Hubei Province, considered the origin of COVID-19, in January. While mentioning that the coronavirus itself was naturally occurring and not artificially created at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), they also emphasized that the U.S. State Department had already raised safety concerns about the WIV in 2018.

They also strongly criticized WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for defending China. The Republican members argued, "Director-General Tedros parroted the Chinese Communist Party's words and ignored opposing evidence."

Michael McCaul (Texas), the Republican ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "If the Communist Party had acted transparently and the WHO chief had prioritized health issues over appeasing China, more lives could have been saved and the economic downturn mitigated," adding that the Chinese Communist Party and Director-General Tedros must be held accountable.

The Hill noted that this report was released ahead of the November presidential election. This is because Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has been strongly criticizing President Donald Trump's response to COVID-19. Biden has said that Trump's disregard for science and contradictory messaging on social distancing and mask-wearing led to the failure in responding to COVID-19.

President Trump gave himself an "A+" for his COVID-19 response on the same day, emphasizing that China is responsible for the pandemic. However, according to poll results, the majority of American voters responded negatively to President Trump's handling of COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.