Beijing on Sunday resisted an investigation by the American intelligence services published on Friday into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, calling it “political and false”, while urging Washington to “stop attacking” China.
“No matter how many times this report is published and how many versions concocted, it cannot change the entirely political and false nature of this report,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
China had already expressed its strong opposition to the initial findings published in the summary report at the end of August, the ministry added in a statement.
He added that the fact that intelligence agencies were wiretapped as part of origin-tracing efforts was “compelling evidence” of politicization, and urged the United States to “stop attacking and to smear China ”.
The document released Friday was a new version of the top-secret report submitted at the end of August to the US president, who had given the intelligence services 90 days to “redouble their efforts” to explain the origin of the pandemic.
He said without new information, intelligence agencies would not be able to judge whether the virus appeared through zoo transmission or through a laboratory leak.
He adds that China’s cooperation will likely be needed to reach a conclusive assessment of the origins of the virus, while stressing that Beijing continues to “hamper the global investigation.”
According to the “laboratory leak” theory, the virus spread from a research centre in Wuhan, the city where the contagion was first reported.
This theory is still unsubstantiated and China has repeatedly rejected it.
Beijing urged to consider a new investigation into origins of the pandemic
Beijing has been urged to consider a new investigation into the origins of the pandemic after the delayed and highly politicized visit by a team of international experts from the World Health Organization, which failed to determine the virus origin.
But Chinese officials resisted the demands, saying they were politically motivated.
In August, Biden said China was withholding “essential information” about the origins of Covid-19, adding that Chinese officials had made efforts to prevent access by international investigators.
Although Mr Biden’s study was launched as the laboratory leak theory gained momentum, the report notes that most agencies believe the virus was not genetically engineered.
