Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun. Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry

In response to a question about the White House's new website, which was launched last weekend and purports to tell the origins of the COVID epidemic, claiming that the epidemic began in a lab leak in China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Tuesday said rehashing the "lab leak" theory on relevant website and smearing China with unsubstantiated accusations is just another ploy the US uses for political manipulation under the pretext of COVID origins-tracing. China firmly opposes it. 

The origins-tracing of the virus is a serious scientific issue. China has actively supported and participated in global science-based origins-tracing in the spirit of science, openness and transparency, the spokesperson said.

Guo urged the US to stop politicizing and weaponizing origins-tracing at once, and stop scapegoating others. The US should stop playing deaf to the questions concerning its role in the pandemic. The US still owes the international community a serious response to those legitimate concerns, and a responsible explanation to the people of the world.

In response to another question regarding the related matter, Guo said that China has made its position clear more than once on COVID origins-tracing. 

I want to stress that since the pandemic began, we have seen a lot of media reports about clues being found in multiple locations and countries around the world about the possible origins of the virus, Guo said.  

The US is one of those places,?and?once?suffered?from?the Vaping Lung Disease and?the?issue?of the Fort Detrick Biological Laboratory. We believe that the international community deserves a clear explanation from the US, Guo said.  

Global Times