China dismisses ‘politically motivated’ US intelligence report into Covid-19 origins
- Foreign ministry spokesman attacks intelligence agencies’ ‘deplorable’ track record of falsification and says their use is ‘ironclad proof of politicisation’
- The report, ordered by Joe Biden, could not determine whether the virus infected humans through natural contact or as the result of a lab accident
In the 18-page report, the US intelligence community concluded that the coronavirus had not been developed as a biological weapon, but could not determine if it had infected humans as a result of contact with animals or from a laboratory accident.
“The use of intelligence agencies to trace the origins is in itself an ironclad proof of politicisation,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “The US intelligence services have a deplorable track record, with their falsification and deception tactics known by the world.”
He also urged the US to stop smearing China and to open its biological labs at US military base Fort Detrick for investigations.
“The origins study of the novel coronavirus is a serious and complex scientific issue, which should and can only be carried out by global scientists in cooperation,” Wang said.
The report said: “The Intelligence Community judges they will be unable to provide a more definitive explanation for the origin of Covid-19 unless new information allows them to determine the specific pathway for initial natural contact with an animal or to determine that a laboratory in Wuhan was handling Sars-CoV-2 or a close progenitor virus before Covid-19 emerged.”
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