US, China deadlock over UN coronavirus action deepens

An attempt by Estonia and Germany to overcome an impasse between the United States and China at the United Nations Security Council instead appeared on Thursday to have reinforced their stalemate over action on the coronavirus pandemic.

For more than seven weeks the 15-member council has been trying to agree on a text that ultimately aims to back a March 23 call by UN chief Antonio Guterres for a ceasefire in global conflicts so the world can focus on the pandemic.