OREANDA-NEWS. China is considering imposing sanctions on four U.S. congressmen and two organizations because of a bill to the U.S. Senate on restrictive measures against Beijing in connection with its actions that supposedly could lead to a pandemic of the disease caused by a new type of coronavirus. This was reported on Thursday by a Chinese newspaper.

According to the publication, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who was the first to file a lawsuit against the Chinese authorities, accusing them of concealing information about the spread of the new coronavirus, could also be on the sanctions list. According to the newspaper, China intends not only to respond symbolically, but to take countermeasures that will "be painful" for the United States.

Earlier, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a bill to the US Senate that provides for the possibility of imposing sanctions on China if Beijing "doesn't cooperate and doesn't provide a full report on the events that led to the outbreak" of a new type of coronavirus.