US President Donald Trump has suggested that he may seek damages from China over the coronavirus outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan and spread around the world.

"We are not happy with China," Trump said at a White House briefing. "We are not happy with that whole situation because we believe it could have been stopped at the source.

"It could have been stopped quickly and it wouldn't have spread all over the world," he said.

"There are a lot of ways you can hold them accountable," Trump said. "We're doing some very serious investigations as you probably know."

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