On Monday, the government of Communist China responded to the news that a U.S. federal agency had concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic most likely resulted from a Chinese lab leak in Wuhan, saying that “certain parties” should stop politicizing the origins of the pandemic. During a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that “origins-tracing” of COVID-19 should be referred back to a March 2021 report published by China and the World Health Organization,
which concluded that a lab leak was “extremely unlikely.” The report was particularly controversial over China’s lack of transparency during the research for the report and over China’s role in creating it.
“Certain parties should stop rehashing the ‘lab leak’ narrative, stop smearing China and stop politicizing origins-tracing,” Ning added.
Citing a classified intelligence report recently given to the White House, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the “Energy Department has concluded that the Covid pandemic most likely arose from a laboratory leak.”
“The Energy Department now joins the Federal Bureau of Investigation in saying the virus likely spread via a mishap at a Chinese laboratory,” the outlet added. “The Energy Department’s conclusion is the result of new intelligence and is significant because the agency has considerable scientific expertise and oversees a network of U.S. national laboratories, some of which conduct advanced biological research.”