US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that China might have known about the new coronavirus as early as November in an interview, renewing his continuous accusations that Beijing has not been transparent in its handling of the virus.

The US is the new epicenter of the pandemic. Cases are surging, and deaths are mounting every day. Instead of concentrating on actual control and prevention work, Pompeo has been obsessed with attacking China.

He blamed China for causing "an enormous amount of pain, loss of life and now a huge challenge for the global economy," and he accused China of taking advantage of the pandemic to "bully" neighbors, even as he welcomed China's provision of essential medical supplies.

He reiterated claims that China had destroyed early virus samples and failed to share samples with the outside world, "making it impossible to track the disease's evolution."

However, the WHO has publicly praised China several times for its transparency and timely response. Now Pompeo has extended his allegations to the WHO for its "mismanagement and mishandling of the pandemic."

This string of groundless and irresponsible accusations has aroused intense discontent even inside the US.

Susan Rice, the former US national security adviser, criticized Pompeo's handling of the virus situation "shameful and divisive."

The Washington Post also condemned "Pompeo's crusade against China" as "senseless." "He has dedicated himself to affixing blame to Beijing for the epidemic, seemingly in an attempt to counter growing Chinese efforts to aid other nations — initiatives that the Trump administration has failed to match."

The Post commented that "Pompeo's pandemic performance ensures his place among the worst secretaries of state ever."

Before joining the Trump administration, Pompeo served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency with a United States Military Academy background at West Point.

Deeply influenced by the outdated Cold War "zero-sum" mentality, he is addicted to conspiracies and the blame game.

The former top intelligence official is blindly steering the US Department of State into becoming like the CIA.

As a reliable partner to Trump, Pompeo firmly plays his part in adding fuel to Trump's strategy of attacking China to disguise their failure in handling the pandemic.

A leaked Republican strategy memo telling the GOP to "attack China" over the coronavirus was published by Politico on Friday. The detailed 57-page memo written by a top Republican strategist advises party candidates to address the coronavirus crisis by "aggressively attacking China." It includes advice on everything from how to tie Democratic candidates to the Chinese government to how to deal with accusations of racism.

Instead of properly handling of the virus, the GOP is focusing on party interests and constructing talking points. Such an act is a political contagion!

It is well recognized that China-US relations will have a profound influence on the dynamic of international relations. Especially amid the global fight against COVID-19, the world is counting on these two powers to take the lead and unite.

As a diplomat, Pompeo’s mission is to build, maintain, and strengthen cross-country relations, not to sabotage them. He must stop spreading political contagion and act like a real diplomat.