London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Time for ‘post-mortem’ on China's response to Covid-19 will come later, but questions need answering – UK defense chief

Time for ‘post-mortem’ on China's response to Covid-19 will come later, but questions need answering – UK defense chief

The UK defense secretary says Beijing's handling of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic must be scrutinized once the crisis is under control. The US has led the blame game, while China has slammed it for politicizing the outbreak.
Ben Wallace was asked by radio station LBC whether China has questions to answer over how quickly it notified the world about the extent of the Covid-19 outbreak. “I think it does,” he replied.

Wallace said that Beijing needs to be “open and transparent about what it learnt; its shortcomings, but also its successes.”

The defense secretary declined to comment on a recent media report that said intelligence agencies from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand worked on a dossier about Beijing’s role in an alleged cover-up of information about Covid-19, and are currently investigating whether the virus came from a Chinese laboratory.

Some media outlets and Western politicians have accused China of trying to conceal information about the disease during the early days of the outbreak, and suggested the virus may have been accidentally released from a high-level virology lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the infection was first recorded.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly floated the idea that the virus came from a Chinese lab and promised an investigation into the origins of Covid-19. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made contradictory statements earlier this week on whether he believes that the virus was “man-made” or not, but also accused China of misleading the world about the pandemic.

Beijing has rejected claims that it tried to hide information about the novel coronavirus, and that it originated inside a Chinese laboratory. Last month, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang accused American politicians of “scapegoating” China, and “peddling lies which discredit China’s anti-epidemic efforts to fuddle people’s minds.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
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
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×