Trump’s commerce secretary Wilbur Ross sees China’s coronavirus outbreak as good news for US economy

President Donald Trump's commerce secretary saw the coronavirus in China as a boon to American business.

Wilbur Ross, who heads the Commerce Department, told Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo that business leaders should consider China's recent history with viral outbreaks before deciding to buy goods and materials there.

"Every American's heart goes out to the victims of the coronavirus, so I don't want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate and very malignant disease, but the fact is it does give businesses," Ross said, before pausing to cough, "yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain on top of all the other things. Because you had SARS, you had the African swine virus there, now you have this. It's another risk factor that people need to take into account.

"I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to U.S., probably some to Mexico, as well," he added.