German minister criticises US coronavirus response as too slow: Spiegel
“These are two extremes, neither of which can be a model for Europe”
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has criticised the United States' handling of the coronavirus outbreak as too slow, the latest sign of tensions between the two allies as they respond to the crisis.
China took "very authoritarian measures, while in the US, the virus was played down for a long time," Maas said in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine in a preview sent to the media on Friday.
"These are two extremes, neither of which can be a model for Europe," he said.
Germany was among countries that last week accused the United States of "Wild West" tactics in outbidding or blocking shipments to buyers who had already signed deals for vital medical supplies