Covid-19 origins: China sets the record straight and blames US

China has officially claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in the United States, escalating tensions just days after Washington imposed a 125% tariff on Chinese goods.

The assertion comes in a newly released document from the Chinese government, which accuses the U.S. of politicizing the origins of the virus and attempting to deflect blame. The report was published in response to renewed statements by former President Donald Trump, who reiterated his belief that the virus leaked from a lab in Wuhan, calling that theory the only "plausible" explanation.

In its report, Beijing states: "The U.S. government, instead of facing squarely its failure in response to COVID-19 and reflecting on its shortcomings, has tried to shift the blame and divert people's attention by shamelessly politicizing SARS-CoV-2 origins tracing."

The document goes on to argue that a thorough investigation should focus on the United States: "Substantial evidence suggests that COVID-19 might have emerged in the United States earlier than the officially claimed timeline—and even earlier than the outbreak in China."

Despite these claims, both the FBI and CIA maintain that the most likely origin of the virus is a lab leak in Wuhan, though definitive evidence remains inconclusive.

(QG - Source: The Daily Star — Picture : © Unsplash)