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Trump doesn't want to talk to China President Xi Jinping right now!

WION Web Team
Washington, United States of AmericaUpdated: May 16, 2020, 07:17 PM IST
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File photo: US President Donald Trump Photograph:(Reuters)

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The novel coronavirus -- which broke out in China's Wuhan in December last year -- has claimed 3,07,666 lives and infected more than 4.5 million people globally, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

United States President Donald Trump has said he does not want to talk to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping "right now" -- in an apparent extension to his displeasure at Beijing's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. 

The novel coronavirus -- which broke out in China's Wuhan in December last year -- has claimed 3,07,666 lives and infected more than 4.5 million people globally, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The US is the worst affected country with 87,530 deaths and over 1.4 million infections reported so far. 

To this end, Trump on Thursday threatened to "cut off the whole relationship" with China.

The president has been pressing China to agree for an inquiry into the origin of the virus, including the allegation that it emerged from a lab in Wuhan.

"Just don't want to talk to him right now. We will see what happens over the next little while," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Trump said he did not want to talk about the trade deal with China.

China, as per the trade deal inked earlier this year, is buying a lot more of American goods than last year.

"They are spending a lot on the trade deal, but the trade deal I don't know somehow I lost a little flavour for it, you can understand," Trump said.

"Each country that's affected is the same thing. Russia now is badly affected. France is badly affected. You look at each country and you can say 'affected' or you can say 'infected', either way you want to put it," he said.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters that President Trump was frustrated with China.

"We know that this disease came from China, and why that information was not shared, some of the information I just suggested is really unacceptable. So he's frustrated at this point, and I'll leave it to him," McEnany said.

China has so far denied America's accusation of covering up the extent of its coronavirus outbreak and accused the US of attempting to divert the public attention by insinuating that the virus originated from a virology laboratory in Wuhan.