Donald Trump threatened to seek damages from China for the outbreak. (Representational)
Beijing has accused US politicians of "telling barefaced lies" over the coronavirus pandemic that has swept the globe, after President Donald Trump threatened to seek damages from China for the outbreak.
"They have only one objective: shirk their responsibility for their own poor epidemic prevention and control measures, and divert public attention," said foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a press briefing Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump suggested he may seek damages from China over the coronavirus pandemic which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan and spread around the world, prompting a furious response from Beijing on Tuesday.
Beijing and Washington have clashed repeatedly over the outbreak as tensions have soared between the world's two biggest economic powers.
"We are not happy with China," Trump said at a White House briefing Monday. "We are not happy with that whole situation because we believe it could have been stopped at the source.
"It could have been stopped quickly and it wouldn't have spread all over the world," he said, saying there were many options to "hold them accountable".
Trump was asked about a recent German newspaper editorial which called on China to pay Germany $165 billion in reparations because of economic damage due to the virus.
Asked if the US would consider doing the same, Trump said "we can do something much easier than that."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)