Chinese ambassador lambastes U.S. intelligence community's COVID-19 origins tracing report

JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Chen Xiaodong has refuted a U.S. intelligence community's COVID-19 origins tracing report, saying the U.S. effort to hype up the so-called Wuhan lab leak is "nothing but a farce and a terrible scandal for the international community," according to the South African news website IOL.

The report released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence of the United States on Aug. 27 slandered that "China withholds information, refuses to cooperate and obstructs international investigation," Chen said on Monday at a press briefing on COVID-19 origins tracing.

"The Chinese side opposes and condemns such a report filled with groundless accusations and lies," said the ambassador, noting it is anti-science for politicians and the intelligence community to uncover the origins of viruses, IOL reported on Tuesday.

Chen denied allegations that China manufactured or leaked the virus from a lab in Wuhan before it spread to the rest of the world, which was fueled by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

The so-called Wuhan lab leak theory is "full of loopholes" and "a complete fabrication," he stressed, noting that the lab has been operating safely and stably since it opened in 2018 by strictly following international standards all the way from design, construction to management.

China is "open and transparent" on origins-tracing cooperation, with nothing to hide, the ambassador noted. China has twice invited World Health Organization (WHO) experts to study the origins of COVID-19 in July 2020 and March 2021, respectively. After that, the WHO released the China-WHO joint study report on COVID-19 origins-tracing, which clearly concluded that a lab leak of COVID-19 is "extremely unlikely."

The timeline of China's COVID-19 response proves that China has no reservations about sharing information with the world, he said. The U.S. government received its first formal notification of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China as early as Jan. 3, 2020, but did not treat it in a more serious manner until 70 days later. "I guess all of us are very clear about what the U.S. has done during the 70 days," said the ambassador.

Calling the U.S. move a witch-hunt that only looks for excuses in favor of their verdict presuming China to be guilty, Chen said the United States held science in contempt, turned a blind eye to the loss of lives, and undermined global solidarity against the virus.

"It is important for the international community to join hands to fight against not only COVID-19, but also the political viruses," he said.