China flips script, says US may be true origin of Covid-19 in new white paper
China on Wednesday accused the United States of being the true source of the Covid-19 virus in a newly released government white paper. The move follows the launch of a US government website last month asserting that a lab-related incident in Wuhan was the most likely cause of the global pandemic.The war of words reignited after the White House unveiled a new Covid-19 website on April 18, stating: 'A lab-related incident involving gain-of-function research is the most likely origin of Covid-19 ' The page also criticizes former President Joe Biden, former top US health advisor Anthony Fauci, and the World Health Organization for alleged missteps in handling the early stages of the outbreak.advertisementALSO READ: Rubio dials S Jaishankar, Shehbaz Sharif: India and Pak should de-escalate tensions
In the document, Chinese officials allege that 'substantial evidence' suggests COVID-19 could have emerged in the United States before being identified in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. The White Paper slams US attempts to 'shift the blame' and urges Washington to stop 'pretending to be deaf and dumb.''The United States has been politicizing the matter of COVID-19 origins for years,' the white paper said. 'Substantial evidence suggested the Covid-19 might have emerged in the United States earlier than its officially-claimed timeline, and earlier than the outbreak in China.'The Chinese government specifically cited a USD 24 billion lawsuit in Missouri, which accused China of hoarding personal protective equipment and covering up the outbreak.Chinese officials argue that the US should now be the focus of global origin-tracing efforts. According to a statement from China's National Health Commission, cited by state media Xinhua, 'The next step in origin-tracing work should focus on the United States.'advertisementALSO READ: Pak's ISI chief gets key role amid tensions with India over Pahalgam attackDespite years of inconclusive investigations, the CIA in January stated with 'low confidence' that a lab origin of Covid-19 was more likely than a natural one, adding that both scenarios remain plausible. China, however, maintains the lab leak theory is 'extremely unlikely.' Its white paper called on the US to provide transparent answers and stop obstructing global investigations.(With inputs from Reuters)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Narender surrendered to Adani, China': Congress ups ante with fresh jibe at PM
The Congress on Thursday upped the ante with its " Narender-surrender " jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi , alleging that he "surrendered" before billionaire Gautam Adani as well as to China. There was no immediate response from the government or the Adani Group over the Congress's accusations but the business conglomerate has, in the past, rejected all such allegations against it. Congress leader Ajoy Kumar said the duo of Adani and Modi has left behind the Jai-Veeru duo from the film "Sholay". "The process of Narendra Modi's surrender before (US President Donald) Trump has happened after many years of practice," Kumar said at a press conference at the Indira Bhawan, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here. "Wherever Narendra Modi goes or whatever Adani wants -- he gets the contract.... The diplomatic moves of India's prime minister have helped industrialist Mr A to expand his international business interests in ports, airports, electricity, coal mining and weapons," the Congress leader claimed and cited examples from various countries. Live Events "Narenderji has hurt his country's relations with her neighbours as well as with other countries by brazenly promoting Mr A's ambitions. The growth of the Mr A Group outside India over the past decade or so has been closely aligned with the diplomatic efforts of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he alleged. Many of "Mr A's" international deals were struck soon after Modi's official visits to certain countries or after heads of government visited India, Kumar claimed. Alleging that Modi had also "surrendered" before China, he said "Narender-Surrender" must apologise to the country for his "clean chit" to the neighbouring country on its invasion of Indian territory in 2020. Kumar claimed that China has vowed to stand by Pakistan in defending its "sovereignty" and "territorial integrity", and called it its "iron-clad friend". "China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, recently gave a statement that his country would continue to stand by Pakistan in upholding its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national independence. China has supplied arms worth over USD 20 billion to Pakistan," Kumar claimed. The Congress had said on Wednesday that it is wrong to think that "Narendra Modi is India and India is Narendra Modi", as it slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its criticism of Rahul Gandhi over his dig at the prime minister, and doubled down on the "Narender-surrender" jibe. Gandhi had said in Bhopal on Tuesday that "as soon as Trump signalled from there, picked up the phone and said, 'what are you doing Modiji? Narender, surrender'.... And Modiji obeyed Trump's orders with Ji Huzoor'". Urging people to remember 1971, Gandhi said back then, a phone call had not come but the United States had sent its 7th fleet, weapons and an aircraft carrier, but prime minister Indira Gandhi did not surrender and said she would go by national interest. Referring to the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Gandhi said they are habituated to writing "surrender letters" since Independence. The BJP has accused Gandhi of insulting the armed forces with his "surrender" barb at Modi, saying it amounted to undermining the success of Operation Sindoor. BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress leader has surpassed even Pakistan's army chief, prime minister and the terror masterminds based there in speaking in support of the neighbouring country, and alleged that his jibes reflect a sick and dangerous mindset. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Deccan Herald
38 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
7 new Covid-19 cases in Indore, active tally rises to 17
Since January 1, a total of 33 Covid-19 cases have been recorded in Indore, including a 74-year-old woman who died.
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
Africa should step up own vaccines, says cholera-hit Angola
Luanda: Africa should step up production of its own vaccines to deal with a range of health issues, Angola, battling hundreds of cholera deaths this year, said Wednesday. "To enable a strong and sustainable response to this crisis and future crises, it is essential to put production of medicines and vaccines on our continent," Angolan President Joao Lourenco, who also heads the African Union, told a videoconference with other African leaders, his office said. "Total dependence on external imports limits our ability to respond and compromises our health sovereignty," Lourenco said during a conference which included World Health Organization (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. More than 90 percent of vaccines, medicines, medical tests, and other essential health supplies used in Africa are imported, according to a report by the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDCP) published in April. Several African countries are battling cholera outbreaks with Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola among the worst hit. As of June 2, Angola had recorded more than 24,530 cases this year, with 718 deaths, according to the Angolan presidency. On May 27, the Sudanese health ministry reported 172 deaths from the disease in a single week in the war-torn country. Africa's dependence on imported health products has proven disastrous during previous epidemics, including Covid-19, Ebola, Marburg and mpox, the ACDCP report said. That leaves the continent at the mercy of global trade tensions, geopolitical disruption and logistical delays, it said. Public health emergencies have significantly increased in Africa, rising from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024, the report added.
