"Even today, nearly a year after the world first learned of the outbreak, the Chinese Communist Party is still spreading disinformation regarding the virus and obstructing a World Health Organization investigation into its origin and spread," Pompeo attacked the CCP.

"It is also peddling vaccines that lack essential data on safety and efficacy, due to a fundamental disregard for transparency and accountability regarding results from clinical trials. Both actions put Chinese citizens, and the world, at risk," he said.

Pompeo said nations should demand transparency from Beijing about the origin and spread of the pandemic that has led to more than one million lives being lost and millions of livelihoods ruined.

"If they do not do so, China’s record of public-health crises makes another future pandemic originating from China depressingly likely," he said.

The US and China are engaged in conflict over numerous issues in recent times including the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The disease is believed to have originated from China last year.