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The United States investigates the origin of the coronavirus 4:20
(CNN) - A nationalist tabloid controlled by the Chinese Communist Party rejected claims by the government of President Donald Trump that the new coronavirus originated in a laboratory, as the war of words over the pandemic intensifies between Washington and Beijing.
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview with ABC on Sunday that there was "enormous evidence" that the covid-19 originated from a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak was detected by first time in December 2019. However, Pompeo did not provide details to back up the claim.
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In response to Pompeo's comments, China's state-run Global Times newspaper said in an editorial on Monday that the former CIA director had "surprised the world with unsubstantiated allegations."
"Since Pompeo said his claims are backed by 'enormous evidence', then he should present this supposed evidence to the world, and especially to the American public he continually tries to deceive," says the editorial.
"The truth is, Pompeo has no evidence, and during the Sunday interview, he was cheating."
CNN contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment on Pompeo's claims, but received no response. The country is in the midst of a five-day holiday that runs through Tuesday.
Scientists around the world have condemned conspiracy theories that suggest covid-19 does not have a natural origin, and instead have pointed to studies that suggest it originated in wildlife.
China has faced criticism at home and abroad for how it handled the virus situation, especially during the initial outbreak. The government was accused of silencing whistleblowers and delaying informing the public about the severity of the crisis.
But critics allege that Washington has stepped up efforts to blame China for the global spread of the virus, as it faces increasing criticism at home for its own handling of the pandemic. To date, the United States has recorded more than 1.1 million cases and at least 67,000 covid-19 related deaths.
Beijing has responded with its own propaganda efforts, accusing the United States of blaming one party and dismissing accusations of deliberate cover-up in the critical early stages.
Last Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang accused "American politicians" of telling lies about the pandemic.
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"They have only one objective: to try to avoid responsibility for their own epidemic and for prevention and control measures and to divert public attention," he said.
On April 30, the Chinese state news agency Xinhua released an animated video featuring Lego-like figures who mocked the United States' response to the pandemic. It has been viewed at least 1.9 million times on Twitter.
On Monday, the Global Times editorial accused the White House of continuing "engaging in an unprecedented propaganda war while trying to impede global efforts in the fight against the covid-19 pandemic."
"While the United States' presidential election campaigns are underway, the Trump administration has implemented a strategy designed to draw attention away from the incompetence it has shown in the fight against the pandemic. It is clear that his goal is to blame China for the pandemic by pointing to the country as the source of Covid-19, "the editorial said.
Repulsive images of Wuhan market before closing 3:43Virus origins
The coronavirus has infected more than 3.5 million people worldwide, with at least 247,000 dead. The United States accounts for almost a third of confirmed cases globally and more than a quarter of deaths.
Pompeo's remarks followed claims by US President Donald Trump that he had seen evidence that gave him a "high degree of confidence" that the virus originated from a laboratory in Wuhan. Trump declined to provide details to back up his claim.
Scientists in China and the West have pointed to research indicating that the virus likely originated from bats and jumped into humans through an intermediate host, just like its cousin that caused the SARS epidemic in 2002 and 2003.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence also said in a statement on Thursday that "the Intelligence Community also agrees with the broad scientific consensus that the covid-19 virus was neither created by man nor genetically modified."
When asked Sunday about that conclusion, Pompeo said he "has no reason not to believe" in the intelligence community, despite earlier comments in the same interview that "the best experts so far seem to think it was done. by man. I have no reason not to believe this at this point. "
Chinese officials and state media have repeatedly stressed that a conclusion on the exact origin of the virus has not been reached, while voicing their own unfounded claims that it did not originate in China. In March, Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, promoted a conspiracy theory on Twitter that the virus had originated in the United States. USA and was brought to China by the United States Army.
One of the first doctors who alerted about the coronavirus 3:13 diesBeijing's anger
So far, Chinese officials and state media have largely avoided naming Trump directly in their coverage of the dispute. Instead, much of Beijing's anger has been directed at Pompeo, and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who has no current administration post.
Last week, state broadcaster CGTN accused Pompeo of "turning its back on humanity by spreading a political virus." The official spokesman for the Chinese Communist Party, The People's Daily, also said in an editorial that Pompeo's rhetoric will give the United States a "colossal moral deficit."
On Monday, The Global Times said Pompeo was "participating in a solo performance that has not met the expected professional standards for a diplomatic boss," and accused him of losing "his moral compass."
State media also chafed at Bannon after he criticized China's handling of the outbreak in an interview with CNBC on Thursday and suggested that Beijing should be financially responsible for the pandemic.
On Sunday night, the state television network CCTV issued a comment during its afternoon newscast in which it attacked Bannon, calling him a "stubborn anti-China figure" with "zero moral integrity."
covid-19
