China says it backs WHO in tracing COVID-19, denounces U.S. 'lies'

China said on Thursday it supports the World Health Organization (WHO) in trying to pinpoint the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and accused U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of telling one lie after another in his attacks on Beijing. The virus has killed more than 255,000 people worldwide, including more than 70,000 in the United States, the worst-affected country, since it was first identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December. Pompeo accused China of withholding virus samples he said were needed for global vaccine research, and he demanded transparency.