China expresses dismay at FBI report on COVID-19 caused by lab leak in China

Record ID: 1713857

  • Title: China expresses dismay at FBI report on COVID-19 caused by lab leak in China
  • Date: 1st March 2023
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (MARCH 1, 2023) (REUTERS) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON MAO NING ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON, MAO NING, SAYING: "China is firmly opposed to any form of political manipulation on the issue of origins tracing. Based on the poor track record of fraud and deception of the U.
  • Embargoed: 15th March 2023 09:23
  • Keywords: CHINA CORONAVIRUS COVID LABORATORY LEAK COVID-19 COVID-19 ORIGIN FBI HEALTH POLITICS REPORT U.S.
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • City: BEIJING, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001388801032023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday (March 1) called on the United States to stop politicizing the COVID-19 traceability and its origins after the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director Christopher Wray said on Tuesday (February 28) that a leak from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
    "Based on the poor track record of fraud and deception of the U.S. intelligence community, the conclusions they draw have no credibility whatsoever," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning during a regular briefing in Beijing.
    "We urge the U.S. side to respect science and facts, stop politicizing the issue of traceability of the Covid-19 virus," added Mao.
    His comments follow a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday (February 26) that the U.S. Energy Department has assessed with low confidence the pandemic resulted from an unintended lab leak in China.
    Wray said he couldn't share many details of the agency’s assessment because they were classified. He accused the Chinese government of "doing its best to try to thwart and obfuscate" efforts by the United States and others to learn more about the pandemic's origins.
    White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Monday (February 27) the U.S. government has not reached a definitive conclusion and consensus on the pandemic's origins.
    (Production: Wang Shubing, Josh D.Arslan)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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