Conspiracy Theories Spread as COVID Situation Worsens in China
US-China Dispute Over Origins Continues
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Conspiracy theories blaming the U.S. military laboratories for the origin of COVID-19 are resurging in China.
On the 6th (local time), CNN reported that conspiracy theories claiming the COVID-19 virus originated from U.S. military laboratories are gaining traction in China. CNN particularly noted that in China, there is a growing trend of calling it the "American virus" in response to former U.S. President Donald Trump's reference to it as the "Chinese virus." In China, claims have repeatedly surfaced that the virus leaked from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRID) located at the Fort Detrick military base.
Recently, based on these claims, the Chinese government has been mobilizing diplomatic envoys to demand an investigation of the U.S. military laboratories by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Earlier, China Central Television (CCTV) aired a program titled "The Dark Secrets of Fort Detrick" on the 1st, which quickly garnered over 400 million views, sparking intense interest. In fact, the state-run Global Times led a petition demanding an investigation into the U.S. military laboratories, which was signed by more than 25 million people.
The dispute over the origin of the COVID-19 virus has intensified again since China rejected the WHO's proposal for a second investigation last month. When the WHO stated that the second investigation should focus on the Wuhan laboratory and traditional markets, the Chinese government immediately pushed back, calling it "ignoring common sense and science."
In its first report released in March, the WHO stated that the possibility of COVID-19 leaking from a Chinese laboratory was extremely low. However, some countries still question the report and claim that the Chinese government is withholding original data. U.S. President Joe Biden also instructed intelligence agencies in May to conduct additional investigations into the origin of COVID-19 and report back within 90 days.
Meanwhile, in China, concerns are rising as new confirmed cases have been steadily increasing since the 20th of last month. CNN interpreted that considering China’s previous claims during last year’s pandemic that the virus was imported from overseas, the current "U.S. military laboratory leak theory" is similarly motivated.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
