[Getty/Kyodo]

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended himself for referring to the new coronavirus as the "Chinese Virus," a phrase displeasing to leaders in Beijing who assert the origin of the global pandemic is yet to be determined.

"I think it's a very accurate term," Trump said at a press conference on coronavirus issues at the White House, shrugging off criticism that the label could create stigma against Chinese people.

Who should shoulder the blame for the worldwide spread of the disease, which is also feared to be tipping the global economy into a recession, has become the latest point of dispute between the United States and China.

U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien angered Beijing last Wednesday by alleging that the Chinese government initially covered up the outbreak, such as by silencing doctors involved, and said the act has likely cost the world community "two months to respond."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian contradicted the view in a Twitter post, saying "It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan!" He has also argued that the United States is trying to shift the blame to China by denigrating its efforts to fight the epidemic.

The virus is widely believed to have originated in Wuhan in central China, where the illness was first reported late last year. But rumors that the virus was brought to the Chinese city in October by U.S. military personnel participating in the Military World Games have been circulating among Chinese netizens on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

"China was putting out information which was false -- that our military gave this (virus) to them. That was false," Trump said, adding that he thought he should refer to the virus by the place it came from, which is China.

"I think saying that our military gave it to them creates a stigma," he said.

Trump tweeted on Monday and Tuesday that the "Chinese Virus" is affecting U.S. industries and states.

On Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi over the phone and conveyed his strong objection against what he sees as China's efforts to shift blame for the COVID-19 pandemic to the United States.

Pompeo stressed that "this is not the time to spread disinformation and outlandish rumors, but rather a time for all nations to come together to fight this common threat," the State Department said in a statement.

The United States is trying to stop further spread of the disease by asking people to curtail their social interactions, but U.S. media reported Tuesday that at least 100 people have already died from the virus across the country.