China criticises US 'scapegoating' as COVID-19 origin report to be released

cna ^ | 8/25/2021 | cna

[RomanSoldier19]

BEIJING: China criticized on Wednesday (Aug 25) the US "politicization" of efforts to trace the origin of the coronavirus, demanding a US military laboratory be investigated, shortly before the release of a US intelligence community report on the virus.

The US report is intended to resolve disputes among intelligence agencies considering different theories about how the coronavirus emerged, including a once-dismissed theory about a Chinese laboratory accident.

ADVERTISEMENT "Scapegoating China cannot whitewash the US," Fu Cong, director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' arms control department, told a briefing.

The US report was due to be completed by a Tuesday deadline but it would take a few days to prepare an unclassified version for public release, the White House press secretary said this week.

Related:

China rejects need for further WHO probe into COVID-19 origins China has said a laboratory leak was highly unlikely, and it has ridiculed a theory that coronavirus escaped from a lab in the city of Wuhan, where COVID-19 infections emerged in late 2019, setting off the pandemic.

China has instead suggested that the virus slipped out of a lab in Fort Detrick, Maryland, in 2019.

"It is only fair that if the US insists that this is a valid hypothesis, they should do their turn and invite the investigation into their labs," said Fu.

[RomanSoldier19]

[woweeitsme]

It’s pretty sad. I don’t know whether to trust the nasty, socialist government that created this monster, or China.

[Rurudyne]

The truth isn’t scapegoating.

Same as when someone observes the ChiComs are sourcing fentanyl to the Mexican Cartels.

Scapegoating would be accusing the ChiComs of something others did.

[HighSierra5]

Screw the Chicoms.