Chinese President Xi Jinping wishes Trump a ‘fast recovery’ after state media said he ‘paid the price’ for downplaying COVID-19

• Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday wished President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump a “fast recovery” following their diagnosis with COVID-19, according to Chinese state TV, The Associated Press reported.
• Trump first announced he and the first lady tested positive coronavirus in an early Friday tweet.
• Since COVID-19 reached the US earlier this year, the president has repeatedly blamed China for the virus’ spread domestically, calling it the “China virus” and recently, the “China plague.”
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday sent well wishes to President Trump and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, following their COVID-19 diagnosis. 

“My wife, Peng Liyuan, and I express our sympathies to you and your wife and wish you a fast recovery,” Jinping said in a statement according to state TV, according to a report from the Associated Press. 

A number of world leaders across the globe have wished the Trumps well as they battle the illness that so far has killed more than 200,000 people in the US and more than 1,000,000 globally. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday offered “warm” condolences to the president and first lady after they were diagnosed. And the Kremin announced on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent President Donald Trump a telegram that wished him a full recovery from the virus.

The president just before 1 a.m. on Friday announced he and the first lady had tested positive for the virus. Late Friday, Trump was transported from the White House to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, “out of an abundance of caution,” The White House said in a statement.

Since COVID-19 reached the US earlier this year, the president has repeatedly blamed China for the virus’ spread domestically, calling it the “China virus” and recently, the “China plague.” As The Associated Press noted, the relationship between China and the US have also soured for other reasons, including disagreements over technology and trade.

As The Hill reported, Jinping’s Saturday message to the president seemed at odds with a previous message from Chinese state-run media. Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Global Times propaganda outlet said the president “paid the price for [his] gamble to play down the COVID-19.” 

“The news shows the severity of the US’ pandemic situation,” Xijin added. “It will impose a negative impact on the image of Trump and the US, and may also negatively affect his reelection.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Friday also tweeted well wishes to the president and his wife.