China firmly opposes U.S. political manipulation on COVID-19 origin-tracing: spokesperson

BEIJING, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Rehashing the "lab leak" theory on relevant website and smearing China with unsubstantiated accusations is just another ploy the United States uses for political manipulation under the pretext of COVID-19 origins-tracing, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, noting China firmly opposes the move.

Last weekend, the White House put out a new website which purports to tell the origins of the COVID epidemic and says that "the epidemic began in a lab leak in China."

In response to a relevant query, spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a daily press briefing that the origins-tracing of the virus is a serious scientific issue. China has actively supported and participated in global science-based origins-tracing in the spirit of science, openness and transparency.

He urged the United States to stop politicizing and weaponizing origins-tracing at once, stop scapegoating others, and stop playing deaf to the questions concerning its role in the pandemic.

"The United States still owes the international community a serious response to those legitimate concerns, and a responsible explanation to the people of the world," Guo noted.

"Since the pandemic began, we have seen a lot of media reports about clues being found in multiple locations and countries around the world about the possible origins of the virus," the spokesperson said, pointing out that the United States is one of those places, and once suffered from the Vaping Lung Disease and the issue of the Fort Detrick Biological Laboratory.

"We believe that the international community deserves a clear explanation from the U.S. side," he said.