World: US President Joe Biden’s call for a renewed investigation into the origin of the coronavirus feels like déjà vu in Beijing.
This announcement came after a previously undisclosed intelligence report surfaced, claiming that several researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill in November 2019 and had to be hospitalized.
In an official statement on Wednesday after approving Sen. Hawley’s Bill, Biden ordered the Director of National Intelligence (DNI)to intensify its efforts to re-examine how the virus originated, including the possibility that it emerged from a lab accident.
A source stated that the genesis of Biden’s order dates back weeks after he had received information on the reports issued by WHO in March. The report concluded that, “it was “extremely unlikely” that the coronavirus leaked from a lab. A tsunami of criticism poured in from governments around the world over questions of transparency.
In the meanwhile, China on Tuesday rejected participation in “phase two” of the WHOs investigations into the origin of the novel virus. China’s decision not to cooperate “heightened interest in us being more transparent about the steps we were taking,” a White House spokesperson stated.
Chinese officials lashed out over Biden’s announcement earlier Thursday, suggesting the U.S. was being duped into believing conspiracy theories. “Some people in the United States completely ignore facts and science,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters.
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