As China hoarded medical supplies, the CIA believes it tried to stop the WHO from sounding alarm

[ansible]

The CIA believes China tried to prevent the World Health Organization from sounding the alarm on the coronavirus outbreak in January—a time when Beijing was stockpiling medical supplies from around the world. A CIA report, the contents of which were confirmed to Newsweek by two U.S. intelligence officials, said China threatened the WHO that the country would stop cooperating with the agency's coronavirus investigation if the organization declared a global health emergency.

It was the second such report from a Western intelligence service and is likely to further inflame tensions between the United States and China over a pandemic that has killed 280,000 people worldwide—more than a quarter of them American.

The first report, a German intelligence assessment published by Der Spiegel last week, accused Chinese President Xi Jinping of personally applying pressure on WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on January 21.

The WHO dismissed the notion that Xi himself intervened, but declined to address specifically the question of whether Chinese officials made any effort to delay or change the announcement of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

"We don't comment on specific discussions with member states but we can say that at all times during the pandemic WHO has acted in accordance with its mandate as an evidence-based technical organization focusing on protecting all people, everywhere," WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told Newsweek. "WHO bases its recommendations on science, public health best practices, evidence, data, and the advice of independent experts.

"Dr Tedros did not communicate with President Xi on Jan 20, 21 or 22. Dr Tedros and his senior team met with President Xi in Beijing on Jan. 28," Lindmeier said. "The issue of PHEIC did not come up in that meeting."

The U.S. intelligence officials who spoke to Newsweek could not say whether President Xi played a role in pressuring the WHO.

https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-cia-believes-china-tried-stop-who-alarm-pandemic-1503565

[spanone]

1. I don't trust a single thing from this administration.

[EX500rider]

2. China can be trusted even less as a "Communists" dictatorship. nt

[11 Bravo]

6. I used to feel the same way.

Sadly, I now equally distrust the Chinese Communists and the United States government.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. Ummmm........We were sending them supplies in February

[mercuryblues]

4. If we didn't have such a week assed presidunce

China would not have dared to do that, if they had dared a REAL President would have stopped them in their tracks.

[soryang]

5. An attempt to save the reputation of an incompetent US administration that wasn't prepared

...and failed to act to protect the public, by floating disinformation from intelligence agencies in the media.

Despite this austerity crusade, the CDC’s initial response to the outbreak was by the book. On January 3rd, Redfield spoke with Chinese colleagues about a mysterious viral outbreak causing a rash of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, and immediately informed Azar. On January 11th, the Chinese published the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus, and the CDC began creating a diagnostic test.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/covid-19-test-trump-admin-failed-disaster-995930/

Everyone in the world knew it was communicable by 22 Jan. The closing of roads, buses, trains, and air traffic in Wuhan took effect 10am 23 January, local time Wuhan, China. If you didn’t get the official notice beforehand, then it was clear to all by 23 Jan.

The US embassy in China warned US citizens to take precautions against the novel corona virus on January 15.

https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/health-alert-update-novel-coronavirus-in-china/

South Korea warned it’s public about the outbreak in Wuhan the week before the lunar new year holiday, and advised South Koreans not to travel but to spend the long holiday at home. The story is disinformation.