U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his Chinese counterpart that it was important for Beijing to be transparent about a growing COVID-19 outbreak, as questions mount about whether Chinese officials are trying to downplay the number of deaths.
In a call with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Blinken “discussed the current COVID-19 situation, and the secretary underscored the importance of transparency for the international community,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement Thursday night in Washington.
A statement from China’s Foreign Ministry on the call didn’t mention COVID, saying the two sides discussed issues related to Ukraine and Taiwan.
