White House's 'lab leak' theory criticized

China reiterated its opposition to political manipulation of novel coronavirus origin tracing on Wednesday, calling on the United States to introspect rather than tarnish China with baseless accusations.

A National Health Commission spokesperson made the remarks in response to a recent article on the White House website alleging that the novel coronavirus originated from a lab leak in China.

Similar to previous unfounded claims regarding a lab leak theory in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei province, the so-called reasons provided lack scientific basis, and the so-called evidence presented is entirely fabricated, the spokesperson said.

The US has repeatedly tried to shift blame and smear China concerning the origin of the novel coronavirus, fully exposing the sinister face of politicizing scientific issues. This approach has been derided by the scientific community, and the conspiracy to contain China through this approach will not succeed, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson said that currently, an increasing number of clues and evidence point to novel coronavirus appearing earlier in the US, indicating that future tracing efforts should be carried out in the US.

The spokesperson urged the US side to immediately cease smearing and attacking China, face its own issues, and offer a sincere and accountable explanation to people of the world and the international community.