Defence minister: China has questions to answer over Covid-19 outbreak
China has questions to answer over the information it supplied about the outbreak of coronavirus, defence minister Ben Wallace has said.
Speaking to LBC radio this morning, Wallace said China should be held to account over how quickly it made the world aware of the extent of the crisis.
However, he said the “post mortem” should wait until after the worst of the pandemic had passed and the focus should be on restarting global economies.
“The time for the post mortem on this is after we’ve all got it under control and have come through it and our economies are back to normal,” Wallace said.
“China needs to be open and transparent about what it leant, its shortcomings but also its successes,” he said.
The comments come as the US looks to pin the blame for the virus outbreak on China, with President Donald Trump and secretary of state Mike Pompeo claiming Covid-19 originated in a laboratory in Wuhan.
The claims, which have not been supported by any evidence, contradict conclusions from US intelligence that the virus was not man-made.
Nevertheless, pressure has been building on Beijing over its handling of the outbreak amid claims authorities attempted to cover up the extent of the health crisis.
Tom Tugendhat, chair of the foreign affairs committee, is leading Tory MPs in a new research group aimed at reassessing the UK’s relationship with China in light of the pandemic.
The China Research Group will gather and share information on Chinese foreign and industrial policy, as well as its ownership and development of new technologies.