China dismisses reported Energy Department conclusion lab leak sparked COVID pandemic
China is dismissing new reporting that the Department of Energy has concluded a lab leak was most likely behind the COVID-19 pandemic, with a foreign ministry spokesperson saying the issue should not be politicized.
“Certain parties should stop rehashing the ‘lab leak’ narrative, stop smearing China and stop politicizing origins-tracing,” Mao Ning said at a regular press conference on Monday.
Mao said the tracing of the virus’s origin “is about science and should not be politicized” and cited a 2021 World Health Organization-China joint study that concluded “a laboratory origin of the pandemic was considered to be extremely unlikely.”
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The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported over the weekend that the Energy Department had determined with “low confidence” that a lab mishap was behind the outbreak, citing unspecified new intelligence.
The reported conclusion matches that of the FBI, but differs from four other agencies and the National Intelligence Council, which judge the virus developed from natural transmission with an infected animal, the Journal noted.
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China dismisses reported Energy Department conclusion lab leak sparked COVID pandemic https://t.co/VVSYzyNhuj pic.twitter.com/7SX1632quI
— The Hill (@thehill) February 27, 2023
The investigation is a full government effort that isn't led by one agency, said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby
Other agencies have said evidence points to the virus arising naturally in China before being transmitted to humans.https://t.co/UzVZEA48n2
— POLITICO (@politico) February 27, 2023
JUST IN: FBI director says origin of COVID-19 pandemic ‘most likely’ a lab "incident" in Wuhan https://t.co/krqvWrE6SZ pic.twitter.com/uVKdFUOR8H
— The Hill (@thehill) March 1, 2023
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