Trump hammers China over virus as U.S. health secretary heads to Taiwan

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday intensified his attacks on China for its handling of the novel coronavirus outbreak that has killed over 700,000 people worldwide, as his health secretary headed to Taiwan for a visit sure to irk Beijing.

Trump, whose public approval ratings have fallen amid continued COVID-19 infection rates and economic woes, sought to shift the focus to Beijing, claiming again, without evidence, that it may have intentionally let the virus spread globally.

The Republican president, who is trailing Democrat Joe Biden in national polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election, said it was a “disgrace” that Beijing had limited the spread of the virus at home but allowed it to reach the rest of the world.

“What China did is a terrible thing ... whether it was incompetence or on purpose,” he said, as his administration continued to crack down on Chinese firms and exports.

Biden on Wednesday said a Phase 1 U.S.-trade deal signed in January by the world’s two largest economies was “failing” after Commerce Department data showed the U.S.-China trade deficit widened 5% to $28.4 billion in June.

Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at yanking back supply chains from China for key ingredients and supplies used to make medicines and medical equipment.