Biden Presses China: "Reinvestigate the Origin of COVID-19" (Summary)

Mention Amid Spread of Wuhan Lab Origin Theory
China Strongly Denies "Disclose US Labs"
WHO Also Embarrassed

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered intelligence agencies to conduct additional investigations into the origin of COVID-19. This move comes as the U.S. is pressuring China by riding on claims within the country that the Wuhan laboratory in China is the source of COVID-19. While China is strongly opposing the U.S. stance, the World Health Organization (WHO), which had denied the laboratory origin theory, has also found itself in a difficult position.

On the 26th (local time), President Biden stated in a press release that he had instructed intelligence agencies to conduct further investigations and report back within 90 days regarding their findings on the origin of COVID-19.

He mentioned that out of 18 intelligence agencies, two leaned toward the animal origin theory, while one leaned toward the laboratory origin theory. He added that the confidence level in these assessments was low to moderate.

President Biden also noted that the majority of intelligence agencies do not believe they have sufficient information to assess which origin is more likely.

He disclosed that the additional investigation will include specific questions directed at China. President Biden emphasized, "The United States will continue to work with like-minded partners around the world to pressure China to participate in a complete, transparent, and evidence-based international investigation and to provide all relevant data and evidence."

At the beginning of his statement, President Biden also expressed dissatisfaction that early in the COVID-19 outbreak, U.S. health investigators were unable to travel to China, hindering a proper investigation into the virus's origin.

Within the U.S., the laboratory origin theory of COVID-19 was reignited recently when The Wall Street Journal cited a classified government report stating that three researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were sick enough to require hospital treatment in November 2019, just before the first reported outbreak.

Former President Donald Trump further fueled the controversy by claiming in a Fox News interview that the possibility of COVID-19 originating from a lab should not be dismissed.

Bloomberg News evaluated President Biden’s statement as a signal that the U.S. does not rule out the possibility that the virus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to questions about the possibility that the virus was developed as a biological weapon by saying, "We have not ruled anything out yet." Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), also called for a transparent investigation.

As the laboratory origin theory spread within the U.S., China strongly opposed it and instead called for an investigation into the U.S. On the 26th, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian stated at a regular briefing, "Some individuals in the U.S. are trying to politicize the issue under the guise of seeking the truth. If the U.S. truly wants a fully transparent investigation, it should open its laboratories worldwide to the world."

The clash between the U.S. and China ignited during the World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Assembly (WHA). Although WHO released a report suggesting a low likelihood that COVID-19 leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, it faced backlash from the U.S. China also blocked Taiwan’s attendance at the assembly, which the U.S. had hoped for.

The Hong Kong South China Morning Post reported, "WHO is facing the challenge of meeting the U.S.’s expectations for an investigation into China." It also bluntly suggested that the U.S. will further intensify pressure on China going forward.