Things fall apart: Fracas at top UN meeting on COVID-19

The United States, China and Russia fought bitterly on Thursday during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the coronavirus pandemic as United Nations chief Antonio Guterres told the body that they had failed in their handling of COVID-19.

Guterres blamed ‘a lack of global preparedness, cooperation, unity, and solidarity’ for the coronavirus spreading out of control and a death toll nearing one million globally. More than 32 million people have been diagnosed with the virus.

US President Donald Trump, who is facing a re-election battle made the situation more difficult when he on Tuesday demanded action against China for spreading the ‘plague’ of COVID-19 to the world.

The US has reported more than 200,000 deaths, the highest in the world and accuses Beijing of a lack of transparency that it says has worsened the outbreak. China, however, denies the accusations.

US Ambassador Kelly Craft reiterated those accusations at the council’s virtual meeting, drawing an angry response from her Chinese counterpart Zhang Jun.

Long-simmering tensions between the US and China have hit boiling point over the pandemic, spotlighting Beijing’s bid for greater multilateral influence in a challenge to Washington’s traditional leadership.