File photo: People walk on a street in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province, on January 21, 2023. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
Beijing: China urged the United States to stop politicising and weaponising origins-tracing of the COVID-19 pandemic, and stop scapegoating others, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
Spokesperson Mao Ning's remarks came after the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from lab leak rather than from a natural source.
Origins-tracing is a matter of science and any judgement on it should be made in a science-based spirit and by scientists, noted Mao at a regular news briefing.
"It is 'extremely unlikely' that the pandemic was caused by a lab leak -- this is the authoritative conclusion reached by the experts of the World Health Organization (WHO)-China joint mission based on science following their field trips to the lab in Wuhan and in-depth communication with researchers," said Mao.
She added that the conclusion has been widely acknowledged by the international community, including the science community.
"The United States needs to stop politicising and weaponising origins-tracing at once, and stop scapegoating others," said the spokesperson.
The U.S. side should respond as quickly as possible to the international community's legitimate concerns, voluntarily share its data with the WHO about suspected early cases in the United States, clarify the questions concerning relevant U.S. biological labs, and give a responsible explanation to the world, Mao added.
