We’re learning day by day the absolute missteps by China in handling the COVID outbreak when it was only contained in their country. So far we know the government shuttered labs, silence physicians, and forced journalists to spread propaganda.
President Trump has rightfully questioned China along the way and pointed out their mistakes. He faced a huge wave of criticism for shutting down travel from China back in January.
Now, an increasing number of Americans also understand the part China had to play in making the COVID pandemic worse. According to a new Morning Consult poll, 73% of Americans place at least some blame on China for American COVID deaths.
Here’s the details from the Morning Consult poll:
The Republican strategy of blaming China for America’s woes stemming from the coronavirus is politically potent, according to new polling: 73 percent of U.S. adults say the Chinese government bears at least some responsibility for the current deaths, tied with “Americans who didn’t socially distance” as the most blamed entity. Of the 12 groups and organizations listed in the survey, China is the most blamed entity among Republicans, and the fourth most among Democrats.
The share of U.S. adults who say each are “somewhat” or “very” responsible for the current death toll in the U.S. from the COVID-19 pandemic:
Furthermore, a message test shows that Americans are more likely to say China gave the United States insufficient warning about the outbreak than they are to say the United States squandered time after China first alerted the global community. Asked which statement is most correct, 26 percent selected “The Chinese government gave the U.S. plenty of warning about the pandemic, but the U.S. did not use that time to better prepare for the pandemic,” while more than twice as many (56 percent) selected “The Chinese government did not give the U.S. enough warning about the pandemic, so the U.S. could not better prepare for the pandemic.”
Over the past few days, there’s been an eruption of tweets rightfully pointing fingers at China. Check it out:
Naturally, China resists taking any responsibility for their mistakes with COVID. They even released a cartoon saying it was ridiculous the US placed any blame on China for COVID.
Watch the report from NBC News:
We’re fortunate that other world leaders are now starting to ask questions about China.
The Washington Post reported on the increasing scrutiny toward China:
President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s charges Sunday that the coronavirus emerged from a Chinese government lab did more than intensify the growing Sino-American conflict. They are just the latest sign that China’s role in creating or worsening the global pandemic will be a key election issue this fall.
Few people now contend that China is blameless in causing the crisis that has enveloped the globe. One doesn’t have to believe every conspiracy theory to note that at minimum the Communist government failed to be forthright in a timely manner with the World Health Organization and other governments. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for an investigation into China’s role, a move that sparked veiled threats of economic blacklisting from state-controlled Chinese media. Even normally more cautious European allies have called for “more transparency” from the secretive and closed regime.
Polls show that Americans are also blaming China. A Harris Poll in early April showed that majorities of Democrats and Republicans thought China was not forthcoming about the virus. While Republicans were predictably much harsher in both their views and in how to respond, anti-China sentiments were shared across the political spectrum. A Pew Research Center survey from March also found anti-China views were shared across party lines. An Economist/YouGov poll from last week even found a plurality of Americans believe the coronavirus came from a lab, with two-thirds of Republicans and nearly three-quarters of Republican primary voters in agreement.
We can only hope that there will be some form of retaliation for the actions China took that spurred a worldwide pandemic.
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