Senior Chinese diplomat urges U.S. not to politicize COVID-19 origin tracing

BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- China urges the United States to respect facts and science, refrain from politicizing COVID-19 origin tracing and concentrate on international anti-pandemic cooperation, senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi said on Friday.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks in a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the latter's request.

Yang pointed out that China has actively participated in and supported international anti-epidemic cooperation, and firmly opposes any despicable acts that use the epidemic as an excuse to slander China and to shift blames.

Some people in the United States have fabricated and peddled absurd stories claiming Wuhan lab leak, which China is gravely concerned about, he said.