US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Washington DC, March 22, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]
As the coronavirus continues to spread in the United States, the Trump administration is fielding criticism from some public health officials, politicians and Asian Americans for labeling the illness a "Chinese virus", a term that experts argued is inaccurate and has led to increased incidents of racist attacks against Asians of different ethnicities.
"The president of the United States, and other White House officials, using the term 'Chinese virus', or 'Kung-Flu', or 'Wuhan virus', we believe is inciting and provoking this anti-Asian sentiment and is really responsible in the rise of these more violent acts," said Cynthia Choi, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, a community-based civil rights organization in San Francisco.
