"Pompeo Tried to Include 'Wuhan Virus' in G7 Joint Statement but Failed"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The United States reportedly insisted that the joint statement to be issued after the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers' meeting should refer to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) as the "Wuhan virus," but other member countries rejected this, causing the plan to fail, CNN and other outlets reported on the 25th (local time).

According to reports, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made this demand to the G7 foreign ministers on the day. A European diplomat said, "The U.S. State Department proposed a 'red line' (a non-negotiable issue)," adding, "We cannot agree to name and discuss the virus in that way."

Germany's Der Spiegel reported that the U.S., which chaired the G7 meeting, first drafted a 12-paragraph statement that included the term "Wuhan virus." However, other countries opposed this, and ultimately the adoption of the joint statement was scrapped. Consequently, several countries, including France, issued individual statements.

CNN explained that U.S. State Department officials said the use of the term "Wuhan virus" was intended to counter Chinese disinformation, but criticized it as reinforcing racism and xenophobia against Asians and Asian Americans. Following President Donald Trump's recent naming of the virus as the "China virus," which provoked China, Secretary Pompeo also appeared to attempt this measure to emphasize China's significant responsibility for the virus's spread.

CNN noted, "Not all officials in the U.S. administration prioritize the term 'Wuhan virus,'" and reported that the joint statement of G7 finance ministers, signed the previous day by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, adopted the term "Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)."

The G7 foreign ministers' meeting also discussed North Korea. Secretary Pompeo stated, "The G7 and all countries must remain united in demanding North Korea return to negotiations," and added, "We must be committed to applying diplomatic and economic pressure in response to North Korea's illegal nuclear and ballistic missile development." Regarding this, Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu told reporters after the G7 foreign ministers' meeting that participants agreed they could not tolerate North Korea's recent projectile tests and would work toward North Korea's denuclearization, NHK reported.