The Chinese official has accused US President Donald Trump of wasting weeks after the threat posed by the virus first became apparent.

In an interview with NBC News, Executive Vice FM Le Yucheng rejected allegations that China had hidden information about the initial outbreak of COVID-19 and should be financially responsible for coronavirus. Instead, he termed the virus a 'natural disaster' and called for greater cooperation and an end to accusations.

"On Jan. 23 when Wuhan went under lockdown, the United States reported only one confirmed case, but on March 13 when President Trump announced a national emergency, the United States reported over 1,600 confirmed cases," Le said, referring to the city in China's Hubei province where the virus is believed to have emerged.

On Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that the Chinese Communist Party should be 'transparent' on COVID-19. 

According to NBC News, over  58,000 COVID-19 deaths are currently recorded in the US.