China alleges Covid-19 originated in US, cites pre-Wuhan outbreak evidence

In a detailed statement released by The State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing has strongly refuted the long-standing claim that Covid-19 originated in Wuhan. Citing a range of studies, data, and historical incidents, China has alleged that the virus may have emerged in the United States before the outbreak was reported in China.

According to the statement, multiple US regions showed signs of SARS-CoV-2 infections prior to December 2019. It pointed to unexplained respiratory outbreaks in Virginia and South Carolina, early Covid-19-like hospitalisations in Florida, and the abrupt 2019 shutdown of the Fort Detrick Biological Laboratory near reported outbreak areas.

China also referenced lab safety violations in the US, including at the University of North Carolina, where incidents involving genetically modified coronaviruses were reportedly not made public. In addition, a USDA study found SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in US deer samples from before January 2020.

Beijing accused the US of politicising virus origin tracing and deliberately downplaying the pandemic in its early stages. The Chinese government criticised the US for suppressing critical Covid-19 data, promoting unverified treatments, hoarding vaccines under an ‘America First’ policy, and prioritising politics over science.

Calling for an international investigation into early US cases and laboratory activities, China asserted that Covid-19 origin tracing must be scientific, not political. It warned that the US’s mishandling of the pandemic made it a global weak link in public health governance.