London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

China slams ‘fabricated’ US intelligence report on Covid-19 origins, says it’s a matter for scientists, not spies

China slams ‘fabricated’ US intelligence report on Covid-19 origins, says it’s a matter for scientists, not spies

The US intelligence report on Covid-19 origins that didn’t rule out the possibility of it coming from a laboratory has nothing to do with science and is aimed at “scapegoating” Beijing, the Chinese Embassy in Washington has said.

In May, US President Joe Biden gave the US intelligence community 90 days to figure out the source of the coronavirus after being left dissatisfied with the findings of the joint probe by China and the World Health Organization (EHO). The first cases of the Covid-19 outbreak were registered in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, and Washington had been long trying to pin the blame on the pandemic, which so far infected over 215 million and killed more than 4.4 million people around the globe, on China. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, famously referred to Covid-19 as the “Chinese virus,” despite vigorous objections from Beijing.

The much-anticipated intelligence report was made public on Friday but failed to live up to the hype. It turns out that the US spy agencies remain “divided” on the origins of the coronavirus, with the two main hypotheses being “natural exposure to an infected animal” and “a laboratory-associated incident.” One agency, which wasn’t named, argued with “moderate confidence” that the virus originated in a Chinese government lab, while four others leaned towards the natural causes with “low confidence.”

Beijing was left dissatisfied with the paper despite it not being as affirmative and condemning as some in Washington expected.

“A report fabricated by the US intelligence community is not scientifically credible,” the Chinese Embassy in the US said in a statement late on Friday. “The origin-tracing is a matter of science; it should and can only be left to scientists, not intelligence experts.”

The paper by the US spy agencies is “based on presumption of guilt on the part of China, and it is only for scapegoating China,” the statement insisted, adding that “the wrong path of political manipulation” taken by Washington will only “disturb and sabotage” international efforts on finding the source of the virus.”

"The report by the US intelligence community has not produced an exact answer the US side wants. Continuing such an effort will also be in vain, because its subject is simply non-existent and anti-science."


Washington keeps “ignoring” the results of the joint China-WHO probe in March, which described the likelihood of the coronavirus escaping from a laboratory in Wuhan as “extremely unlikely,” the embassy reminded.

It also expressed “firm opposition” to and “strong condemnation” of claims made in the intelligence report that China has been hindering the investigation into the origins of the virus and refusing to share data with international bodies. The statement insisted that the WHO experts were allowed access to all sites they wanted to visit in China.

However, earlier this month, the WHO voiced its intention to continue the probe into the origins of the coronavirus. In a call, apparently addressed to Beijing, it urged the member states to “cooperate to accelerate the origins studies,” while pointing out that access to relevant data was “crucially important.” According to the UN body, “giving permission for the retesting of samples,” which China refuses to provide, “reflects scientific solidarity at its best.”

The Chinese Embassy insisted the US should also “make public and examine the data of its early cases,” reiterating earlier calls by Beijing to investigate American laboratories for the origins of the virus. The Chinese authorities have been demanding such a probe based on several studies that found traces of Covid-19 in the US and some other countries before the outbreak in Wuhan.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×