Coronavirus Australia: US secretary of state Mike Pompeo backs Scott Morrison call for virus inquiry

US secretary of state criticises China for ‘coercive activity’ against Australia as he urges all countries to demand answers on virus outbreak.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Picture: AFP

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has backed Scott Morrison’s push for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus and has criticised China for threatening economic retaliation against Australia.

Mr Pompeo said all countries should join Australia’s call for answers from China about how the pandemic was triggered that has wreaked a path of death across the world and has hobbled the global economy.

“I saw comments from the Chinese foreign ministry talking about coercive activity with respect to Australia, who had the temerity to ask for an investigation,” Mr Pompeo said in Washington.

“Who in the world wouldn’t want an investigation of how this happened to the world? We would urge every country, all of our partners, to demand that we get answers for what happened here, but also that we continue to have — we get the transparency, that the world gets the transparency it needs.”

Mr Pompeo said the immediate focus of the US was on saving lives and then on rebuilding the economy, but he said Washington would soon examine how to hold China accountable for the devastation caused by the virus that originated late last year in Wuhan.

“There’ll be ample time to evaluate how it is we hold accountable those responsible for loss of what is now tens of thousands of American lives and enormous amount of wealth — not only American wealth, but the global economy’s devastation as a result of this virus.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: AAP

China has threatened economic retaliation against Australia after Mr Morrison called for an independent international investigation into the origins of the pandemic.

“It would seem entirely reasonable and sensible that the world would want to have an independent assessment of how this all occurred, so we can learn the lessons and prevent it from happening again,” Mr Morrison said this week.

“I think it is a fairly obvious and common sense suggestion, that I believe there will be support for.”

The Chinese ambassador in Canberra Jingye Cheng has strongly opposed such an inquiry which Beijing fears would further harm its international reputation.

Mr Cheng suggested that Beijing could stop tourists and students coming to Australia and that the Chinese public would boycott Australian beef and wine.

Chinese Ambassador to Australia Jingye Cheng. Picture: AAP

“Maybe also the ordinary people will say why should we drink Australian wine or to eat Australian beef?” Mr Cheng said.

The Ambassador accused the Morrison Government of playing political games and of harbouring “ideological bias”.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham has described Mr Cheng’s comments as “disappointing” but said the government would continue to call for an inquiry.

“Australia is no more going to change our policy position on a major public health issue because of economic coercion or threats of coercion, than we would change our policy position in matters of national security,” he said.

US President Donald Trump has accused China of deceiving the world by hiding news of the initial outbreak of the virus in Wuhan and failing to warn of its spread. Mr Trump has also said he believes Beijing has grossly understated the number of those who died from the virus in China.

The US death toll from the virus has now exceeded 60,000 people and has now taken the lives of more Americans than the Vietnam War.

The US economy is also in freefall and is suffering its sharpest downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia