• China condemns U.S. for promoting the "lab leak" theory behind COVID-19 origins.
• The Chinese government demands investigations into virus origins be conducted in the U.S.
• Chinese officials assert that previous COVID-19 cases may have occurred in the U.S. before Wuhan.
• The U.S. intelligence community indicates a lab leak is a plausible origin theory.
• China requests a halt to political manipulation in pandemic-related discussions.

China has accused the United States of "politicizing" the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic after a recent update to the White House's webpage pushed the theory that the virus originated from a Wuhan laboratory. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun criticized the U.S. for using "unsubstantiated accusations" as a means of political manipulation, labeling it a tactic of scapegoating aimed at Beijing. This response comes in light of heightened tensions between the two nations surrounding the pandemic's origins, which have caused a divide in international relations, according to Newsweek.

The Chinese National Health Commission (NHC) echoed Guo's sentiments, stating that the U.S. assertions lack a scientific basis and reflect a "sinister character" in politicizing scientific matters. They insisted that the first signs of COVID-19 may have appeared in the U.S. rather than in Wuhan. The NHC demanded that any origin tracing efforts should now focus on the U.S., reflecting calls from multiple Chinese officials for greater transparency and accountability, as noted by South China Morning Post and Anadolu Agency.

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has indicated that it considers a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology to be a plausible origin for the virus, although it maintains low confidence in this assessment. Notably, previous investigations by the World Health Organization noted challenges in obtaining full access to critical data in China, an issue that Beijing claims has been manipulated for political purposes. In contrast, China maintains that it has been open and transparent regarding all investigations into the virus's origins, according to numerous reports including those by South China Morning Post and Anadolu Agency.