The Prime Minister has spoken to Donald Trump about the economic impacts of coronavirus and performance of the World Health Organisation.
Scott Morrison and the US president on Wednesday discussed the need for transparency, in a clear reference to China, and the need to improve global institutions like the WHO in their response to pandemics.
Their discussion comes amid statements from WHO pointedly stating that all available evidence suggests coronavirus originated in animals in China late last year and was not manipulated or produced in a laboratory.
Mr Trump said last week his government was trying to determine whether the virus emanated from a lab in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus pandemic emerged in December.
Australian officials have been vocal in their criticisms of WHO and China’s openness on the origins of the coronavirus.
Federal cabinet members Josh Frydenberg, Peter Dutton and Marise Payne have joined the Prime Minister in applying pressure.
China has responded to the criticism by accusing Mr Dutton of “receiving instructions from Washington” in line with the US ‘propaganda war’.
Mr Frydenberg hit back at China’s criticism as ‘unjustified’.
Just got off the phone with US President @realDonaldTrump. We had a very constructive discussion on our health responses to #COVID19 and the need to get our market-led and business centres economies up and running again.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) April 22, 2020
Mr Morrison also raised Australia’s focus on supporting countries in the Pacific and South East Asia, where the United States also holds a keen strategic interest.
–with AAP
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