Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijiang has denied allegations that the new coronavirus, which is raging around the world, originated in a laboratory in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province, where COVID-19 was first reported.
U.S. intelligence and national security officials said on Wednesday that the U.S. is studying the possibility that the new coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory.
U.S. President Donald Trump later Wednesday also said his government is trying to determine whether coronavirus was created at a laboratory in Wuhan.
Speaking at a daily media briefing on Thursday, Zhao responded that the origin of the new virus was for scientists and medical experts to find out, and the claim itself was unfounded.
World Health Organization officials have repeatedly stated that there is no evidence that the virus was produced in a laboratory, and many experts have also stated that the claim has no scientific basis.
Declaring China’s continued participation in international cooperation, Zhao called on all parties to work together to combat the infectious disease.