Washington is weighing up more aggressive economic measures against China amid rising anger over Beijing’s handling of the pandemic, threatening the commercial truce reached less than four months ago.
As the disease swept across the US killing tens of thousands of people and devastating the economy, US president Donald Trump accused China of covering up its coronavirus outbreak and failing to prevent its spread around the world.
The White House and Capitol Hill are now looking to match the anti-Beijing rhetoric with steps to curb supply chains and investment flows, according to public remarks by administration officials, congressional aides, and industry lobbyists in Washington. However, it is unclear how far they are willing to go, given fears of inflicting more damage to the US economy.