If ever there was a time for the world to come together against a common enemy, this is it. But President Donald Trump has worsened a petty diplomatic fight with China after he referred to the coronavirus epidemic as “the Chinese virus” in a Monday evening tweet. The World Health Organization has urged people not to use terms that link the virus to China or the city of Wuhan to avoid discrimination. But the U.S. and China have been squabbling over the source of the virus—Zhao Lijian from China’s ministry of foreign affairs accused the U.S. military of bringing the virus to Wuhan, while Washington has repeatedly blamed China. Trump’s tweet infuriated Beijing, with the state-run newspaper the Global Times posting: “What a president! By labeling the COVID-19 ‘Chinese virus,’ Trump tries to hide his administration’s lack of prevention & control measures against the coronavirus. He passes the buck to China, trying to prove that he is NOT responsible for the current situation the U.S. is facing.”
