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It follows revelations of systematic cover-ups by Beijing in the crucial first weeks of the outbreak in December, and a concerted disinformation campaign since February. A UK poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies as part of their research into Global Health and Governance Opinion found that 55 per cent of Britons agreed that “the Chinese Government to blame for the spread of the coronavirus pandemic”. Only 26 per cent disagreed, while 19 per cent of the 2,000 canvassed said they did not know.

Crucially, of those who blame China, a resounding 69 per cent voted Conservative in December’s general election. The findings will add further pressure for Boris Johnson to reverse his decision to allow state-funded Chinese telecoms giant Huawei to take part in the roll out if 5G across the country on national security grounds. China has been criticised for not informing the World Health Organisation of the virus’ potential human - human transmission until January 23, when Beijing began to lockdown Wuhan. During the first three weeks of January, more than five million people were allowed to leave the province to potentially spread the contagion further. A systematic disinformation campaign using state-supporting media outlets later claimed that both the US and Italy were responsible for the original outbreaks. Earlier this week, however, a report from NTD news, which is critical of the regime, confirmed that 19 countries around the world – including the US and Italy - could pinpoint their patient zeros to people who had travelled from Wuhan or had been close contact with those who did. Italy, which had suffered the highest death toll – 19,468 - until it was overtaken by the US yesterday has pinpointed its patient zeros to a Chinese couple from Wuhan.

Xi Jinping has come under fire as Brits blame the government for virus spread

Chinese workers and health officials wear protective white suits as travellers

For the US – which now has the highest number of Covid-29 deaths at 20,007 and more than half a million cases - it was a man who travelled back from Wuhan and tested positive on January 20th. Others include France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Canada, UAE, India, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Nepal, Australia, Cambodia, Philippines, and Singapore. Earlier this week there were further reports of more outbreaks in Wuhan, despite 65,000 people leaving the province after lockdown was ended on Wednesday. Last night China expert Matthew Henderson, who served with the FCO in Beijing and is now head of the Henry Jackson Society’s Asia programme, said:”This is an extremely significant poll, particularly in what it tells us about how Conservatives feel about the Conservative Government’s current approach to China.

“We can make an informed assumption that fewer Conservatives held Sino-sceptic views before the Covid-19 outbreak. This has changed and that change is well-founded. “Beijing has systemically lied about its Coronavirus problem and, if recent reports are accurate, continues to willfully ignore IHR (International Health Regulations) guidelines to this day. We can now infer that constituent Tories may have changed their thoughts about Huawei. “China has lost the trust of the world in its capacity to manage an appalling event, which it should have known how to deal with from its precious experience with SARS. Beijing clearly has utter contempt for the IHR, the world’s only international instrument to deal with pandemics. “Britain has become dangerously dependent on Chinese trade, investment and funding over the last two decades. We now find ourselves vulnerable to real harm in all of these areas.”

Yang Guangyu, 54, a local barber working in his shop at a blocked residential area

People wearing face masks line up to undergo nucleic acid tests