World wants to know what risks US biolabs pose

Without any evidence, the United States has repeatedly claimed that the novel coronavirus leaked from a laboratory in China, even after an international team of experts concluded it was "extremely unlikely" after conducting in-depth and independent field research in the country.

Now the shoe is on the other foot, and the US is facing calls to open some of its biolabs in Ukraine for international investigation, after Russia claimed its forces had found documents showing the Ukrainian health ministry had ordered the destruction of samples of plague, cholera, anthrax and other pathogens before Feb 24, calling it "an emergency attempt to erase evidence of military biological programs" financed by the Pentagon.

The Pentagon does have cooperation with Ukraine under the framework of its so-called Biological Threat Reduction Program. But that cooperation is not under the supervision of any reliable international third party.

Therefore, the call by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, during a news conference on Tuesday, for the US to ensure the 26 biological laboratories it controls in Ukraine do not threaten the health and safety of the Ukrainian people is fully justified.

The operation of the labs where lethal pathogens are reportedly developed and stored remains opaque. With war engulfing the country where the labs are located, the US is duty-bound to ensure any pathogens that may exist in the labs do not pose a risk.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, Statement Department spokesman Ned Price and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki all rebutted Russia's accusations as "absurd", "laughable" and "false" on Wednesday, without providing any substantial facts about these labs. Such glib dismissals cannot dispel the international community's concerns about the potential safety threats posed by these labs.

And the haste with which they tried to kick the ball back in accusing Russia of using this as an attempt to justify its "horrific actions" in Ukraine has only further raised people's doubts about the reason why they want to quickly divert the public's attention from the labs in Ukraine, which are only the tip of the iceberg of the 336 biolabs the US controls overseas. Particularly since the US has been thwarting the United Nations' attempts to build an auditing and supervision system under the Biological Weapons Convention by refusing to join it.

The US is obliged to not only ensure that its biological laboratories pose no safety risks but also disclose details of their purpose. The best way to refute a rumor is to tell the truth. The world deserves the right to know what the US has been up to in these labs.