United States and China flags
United States and China flagsiStock

According to The Guardian, US lawmakers have proposed renaming the street in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington after the late Wuhan doctor punished for warning about the spread of coronavirus, "a step sure to outrage Beijing," the paper writes.

Currently, the street is called "International Place" and if the proposal is adopted, it will be renamed, "Li Wenliang Plaza."

Dr. Li Wenliang was one of several Chinese doctors who attempted to warn people about a new and dangerous virus spreading from the city of Wuhan, but he was silenced by Chinese authorities and forced to sign a statement promising not to commit any more "law-breaking actions," The Guardian writes.

Dr. Li subsequently contracted the virus himself and died in February. In an extremely uncharacteristic move, Chinese police actually apologized for the way the doctor had been treated.

"We’ll ensure the name Li Wenliang is never forgotten – by placing it permanently outside the embassy of the nation responsible for the deaths Dr Li tried to prevent," said Tom Cotton, a Republican senator known for his hawkish views on China.