Pompeo: U.S. calls on China to permanently close wildlife wet markets

Politics

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addresses a news conference at the State Department in Washington, U.S., April 7, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis/Pool

(Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States has called on China to permanently close its wildlife wet markets, citing links between those markets and zoonotic diseases.

The new coronavirus is believed to have emerged in a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has spread around the world killing over 180,000 people and infecting over 2.6 million, Reuters calculations show tmsnrt.rs/3cBeEYg.

“Given the strong link between illegal wildlife sold in wet markets and zoonotic diseases, the United States has called on the People’s Republic of China to permanently close its wildlife wet markets and all markets that sell illegal wildlife,” Pompeo said in a statement late on Wednesday.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

Ukrainians mourn their dead after almost 1,000 days of war – but US move sparks hope | World News
Microsoft’s Recall photographic memory search has issues in test build
New Delhi air pollution: Schools closed and construction stopped as smog worsens to levels far above WHO safety limit | World News
Apax leads £500m battle to revive name of accountancy firm Smith & Williamson | Money News
Father John Misty, Lil Wayne, Nas, and Snoop Dogg Respond to Kendrick Lamar’s Surprise New Album GNX