‘Political manipulation’: China hits out at US calls for further probe into coronavirus origins

Foreign ministry spokesman says next phase of WHO-led investigation should look at United States

He was responding to remarks from Washington that an inquiry is a ‘critical priority’ and urging more transparency from China

Reading Time:2 minutes

The foreign ministry said some in the US used the pandemic to “smear and attack China”. Photo: AP

Published: 8:30pm, 26 May 2021Updated: 8:30pm, 26 May 2021

Beijing has accused Washington of “political manipulation” after the United States renewed calls for further investigation into the origins of the coronavirus and more transparency from China.

Members of US President Joe Biden’s administration are pushing for a second phase of investigation to begin, led by the World Health Organization.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Wednesday described the calls as attacks on China, saying the next investigation phase should instead look at the US.

“Some people in the United States claim they want the truth, but their real intention is political manipulation,” Zhao said at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

“Whenever they bring up the pandemic, they smear and attack China, and they have completely ignored their own failure to contain the outbreak and the many questions raised about the [possibility that the virus originated] on their soil,” he said.

Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian suggested a biomedical research lab at the Fort Detrick military base be investigated. Photo: Kyodo

Zhao has previously posted on social media about an unsubstantiated claim that the US military brought the new coronavirus to the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the first cases were reported in late 2019.