China has made the extraordinary claim that the United States, not China, may be the true origin of the Covid-19 pandemic. This accusation was made in a white paper published by the Chinese State Council Information Office. The paper suggests the virus, which has caused millions of deaths worldwide, may have originated in America. This appears to be a direct response to renewed scrutiny from the Trump campaign, which has reiterated claims that the virus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The white paper criticizes Washington for politicizing the pandemic's origins and attempting to deflect attention from its own early failures.
Chinese officials have accused the US government of shifting blame and diverting attention from its failures in responding to the pandemic. They argue that a thorough investigation into the virus's origins should be conducted in the United States. The Chinese report further claims that evidence suggests Covid-19 may have emerged in the US earlier than officially acknowledged, and before the outbreak in China. This latest statement from Beijing comes as US intelligence agencies continue to support the theory that a lab leak in Wuhan remains a strong possibility. While some scientists maintain the virus likely jumped from animals to humans, China's white paper insists the US should answer questions raised by the international community.
The report alleges that the US knowingly downplayed its own outbreak early in 2020, stating that the Trump administration compared Covid-19 to the flu. The report argues that the US has made China the primary scapegoat for its own mismanaged Covid-19 response. It cites a CDC study suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were found in blood samples collected in the US before China reported its first official cases. The white paper also references an NIH study, claiming that coronavirus antibodies were present in blood samples across all US states by March 2020. However, health experts point out that antibody tests can cross-react with other coronaviruses and may not provide definitive proof of early transmission. The report does not mention the virus's genetic sequencing, which was first conducted in Wuhan. Beijing also highlights a list of lab safety incidents in the US, though the vast majority were minor. The report concludes with a strongly worded message urging the US to stop shifting blame and reflect on its public health policies.
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