China "spawned" the global coronavirus pandemic and is "guilty until proven innocent," according to White House trade adviser Pete Navarro, who predicted this eventuality in a book 15 years ago.
"China created this pandemic," Navarro told CNN's "State of the Union." "They hid the virus. They created that virus, and they sent over hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens here to spread that around and around the world. Whether they did that on purpose, that's an open question."
Host Jake Tapper pressed Navarro on claim China "created" the virus, the trade adviser clarified to say "spawned."
"You did not hear me wrong," Navarro added. "That virus was a product of the Chinese Communist Party, and until we get some information about what happened in those labs what, or what happened in that wet market, we know that virus was spawned in China. That is what I mean: Spawned in China."
Navarro added, he predicted in a book years ago, China had the capability to unleash a viral pandemic on the world.
"I'll tell you this: In 2006 in a book I wrote, "The Coming China Wars," on page 150, I predicted that China would create a viral pandemic that could possibly kill millions," Navarro said. "Why did I do that at the time? Because the whole structure of that authoritarian, repressive, nontransparent society is geared towards giving us exactly what they've given us, which is a pandemic."
China needs to come forward with information to disprove the claims, Navarro said.
"Guilty until proven innocent; that's my assessment," he said, clarifying whether he meant to claim China "created" the virus. "That's an open question. Roll the tape back. What I said is that virus came out of China. The Chinese Communist Party is responsible for it."