US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that China should face consequences if it was "knowingly responsible" for the coronavirus pandemic. "If it was a mistake, a mistake is a mistake.
But if they were knowingly responsible, yeah, I mean, then sure there should be consequences," Trump told reporters at a daily briefing.
He did not elaborate on what actions the United States might take. Trump and senior aides have sharply criticised China for a lack of transparency after the coronavirus broke out in its Wuhan province.
This week he suspended aid to the World Health Organization accusing it of being "China-centric." Washington and Beijing, the world's two biggest economies, have publicly sparred over the virus repeatedly.