China on Friday attacked the theory that the coronavirus pandemic could have been caused by a leak from a Chinese laboratory as a politically motivated lie, after the World Health Organization strongly recommended that a deeper investigation be needed into whether a laboratory accident could occur. . to accuse. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also denied allegations that China had not fully cooperated with the researchers, saying it welcomed a science-based investigation but rejected any political manipulation. He also reiterated calls for research into “highly suspect laboratories such as Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina” in the United States, where China has suggested, without evidence, that the United States has developed the coronavirus as a biological weapon. “The theory of laboratory leakage is completely a lie devised by anti-Chinese forces for political purposes, which has nothing to do with science,” Zao told a daily news release. “We have always supported and participated in the scientific detection of the global virus, but we strongly opposed any form of political manipulation,” he said, echoing China’s long-standing explanation for delaying or rejecting further research into the virus. Zao said China has made a significant contribution to detecting the virus, sharing most of the data and research results. This “fully reflects China ‘s open, transparent and accountable attitude, as well as its support for the work of the WHO and the Advisory Group,” he said. The WHO’s stance in a report released Thursday is a sharp reversal of the UN Health Organization’s initial assessment of the pandemic. It comes after many critics accused the WHO of being too quick to reject or undermine a laboratory leak theory that put Chinese officials on the defensive. After a tightly controlled visit to China last year, the WHO concluded that it was “extremely unlikely” that the coronavirus had spread to humans from a laboratory in Wuhan. Many scientists suspect that the coronavirus was transmitted from bats to humans, possibly through another animal. However, in Thursday’s report, the WHO team of experts said that “key elements” were still missing to explain how the pandemic started. The scientists said the team “will remain open to any scientific evidence available in the future to allow a thorough test of all reasonable hypotheses.” Identifying the source of an animal disease usually takes years. It took more than a decade for scientists to identify the species of bats that were the natural reservoir for SARS, a relative of COVID-19. The panel also noted that since laboratory accidents had caused some outbreaks in the past, the theory could not be rejected. China has said it has not submitted any studies to the WHO to assess the possibility of the coronavirus coming from a laboratory leak. The new report is indicative of a more confrontational relationship between China’s authoritarian communist leadership and the WHO, which was initially accused of being overly respectful of Beijing, particularly by the former Trump administration. The coronavirus has killed more than 6.3 million people worldwide, forced dozens of countries into lockdown and upset the world economy. It was first spotted in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and was initially associated with a traditional market where wildlife was sold for food. China was accused of responding slowly and covering up the scale of the epidemic, before locking the entire city of Wuhan and surrounding areas in the first of a series of draconian “zero-COVID” measures that continue today like the rest. of the world opens again. Last month, the WHO declared “zero-COVID” unsustainable, noting the increased knowledge of the virus and the cost to the economy and civil rights. China has dismissed the criticism as “irresponsible”. China has also been accused of leading a disinformation campaign, suggesting that the virus was detected elsewhere before the Wuhan outbreak and formulating other theories aimed at diverting attention from China. Investigations by the Associated Press found that some top WHO executives were frustrated with China during the initial epidemic, even when the WHO rushed to praise Chinese President Xi Jinping. They were also upset about how China tried to limit the investigation into the origin of COVID-19. Zao seemed to imply that China would reject any criticism or suspicion of it. “Research into the origin of the virus must adhere to scientific principles and must not be subject to political interference,” Zao said.
