US could use new tariffs on China as retaliatory measure over COVID-19 crisis: Trump
Washington/Sputnik/UNI: The United States could impose new tariffs on China as a retaliatory measure over the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, US President Donald Trump said in a press conference.
"I could do it differently, I could do the same thing but even for more money, just by putting on tariffs," Trump said on Thursday when asked if he would consider canceling US debt obligations to China as punishment over the virus outbreak.
Earlier on Thursday, media reported that US officials were looking into retaliatory measures against Beijing over the pandemic, including canceling US debt obligations to China.
Trump added that not paying debt obligations to China may hurt the value of the US dollar.
Moreover, Trump said China appears to be trying to become more transparent with the United States over the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Trump administration, including the president himself, has repeatedly suggested that the virus sprung out of lab in Wuhan.
However, earlier in the day the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a statement clearly indicating that intelligence assessments indicate a natural cause of the virus.
"The Intelligence Community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified," the DNI said on Thursday.
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