Trump says China could face 'consequences' over pandemic

US president casts doubt on Beijing's death toll figures, describing them as 'impossible'

People shout at police officers during a demonstration of conspiracy theorists as other demonstrators protest against the lockdown imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus, in Berlin, Germany. Reuters

US President Donald Trump speaks as he points towards China on a chart showing daily mortality cases during the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington, US. Reuters

Vehicles of supporters of the group 'Reopen Maryland' filing into Church Circle to protest the state's on-going stay-at-home order due to coronavirus, in Annapolis, Maryland, USA. EPA

French DJ and activist Leslie Barbara Butch plays a set during L'Appart Chez Moi live-stream party while being confined at home during a national lockdown, in Paris, France. EPA

A stranded man cries as he looks for a shelter to spend the night in during the twenty-sixth day of the lockdown imposed by the government, in Kathmandu, Nepal. Reuters

A man pushes his bike in a closed park as the New York City skyline are seen during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in New York City, as seen from Weehawken, New Jersey. Reuters

A woman holding a child sits on a motorway surrounded by police while Peruvians who were stranded in Lima during an ongoing quarantine try to make their way to San Martin and other parts of the country, in Lima, Peru. Reuters

A Salvadoran army officer talks with a man detained during a military operation as part of security measures ordered by El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, in La Libertad, El Salvador. Reuters

A police officer points his gun during a motorcade in a protest against Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel's measures and in support of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters

A volunteer sprays disinfectants to help fight the spread of coronavirus at the Raila Educational Centre in the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters

A woman waits in line during a food and clothes distribution for homeless people in downtown Birmingham, Alabama US. Reuters

A still image of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II with a message of hope from her special address to the nation is seen on the giant billboard in Piccadilly Square, central London. AFP

A member of the military tests a person at a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures, Chessington, Britain, London, Britain. Reuters

A police personnel sits on a vehicle while patrolling in Yangon. AFP

People watch the remains of Nigeria’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, being buried at the Gudu Cemetery in Abuja. AFP

US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that China could face consequences if it was "knowingly responsible" for the coronavirus pandemic.

"It could have been stopped in China before it started and it wasn't," Mr Trump told reporters at a White House briefing.

"And now the whole world is suffering because of it."

Mr Trump was asked whether China should suffer consequences for the pandemic which began in the central city of Wuhan in December and has killed more than 157,000 people around the world.

"If they were knowingly responsible, certainly," he said. "If it was a mistake, a mistake is a mistake.

"But if they were knowingly responsible, yeah, then there should be consequences," Mr Trump said.

"Was it a mistake that got out of control or was it done deliberately?" he said. "That's a big difference between those two.

"In either event, they should have let us go in," he said, referring to a US offer of scientific assistance.

"We asked to go in early. And they didn't want us in. I think they knew it was something bad and they were embarrassed."

"They said they're doing an investigation," the president said. "So let's see what happens with their investigation. But we're doing investigations also."

The Trump administration has said it does not rule out that the coronavirus was spread accidentally from a laboratory researching bats in Wuhan.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian – who has alleged that the US military may have taken the virus into China – rejected US media reports on the subject and said there was "no scientific basis" for the assertion that China let the virus spread.

Mr Trump also cast doubt on official Chinese figures which showed the country had suffered 0.33 deaths per 100,000 people.

"The number's impossible," he said. "It's an impossible number to hit."

The United States, according to a chart displayed at the briefing, has had 11.24 deaths per 100,000 people, while France has had 27.92 and Spain 42.81.