• China accuses the US of politicizing COVID-19 origins after a new White Paper.
• The document suggests COVID-19 may have emerged in the US before Wuhan.
• China urges further investigation into early cases in the US.

China has rekindled the debate over the origins of COVID-19 by releasing a white paper in which it blames the United States for "indifference and delayed actions" during the global pandemic. The document, published by the State Council Information Office, claims "substantial evidence" indicates that COVID-19 "might have emerged in the United States earlier than its officially-claimed timeline" and calls for a detailed inquiry into American origins, echoing sentiments from a recent White House initiative that suggested a lab leak in China, which Beijing has consistently rejected, according to aa and reuters.

The recent white paper from China, released via the Xinhua news agency, responds to accusations made by the Trump administration regarding a potential lab leak in Wuhan, asserting that the U.S. has politicized the issue. It highlights a Missouri lawsuit that resulted in a substantial ruling against China, branding it as a politically motivated effort to deflect attention from the U.S. pandemic response. The document emphasizes that both lab leak and natural origins remain plausible while calling on Washington to "stop playing deaf and dumb" and address legitimate global concerns, according to reuters and indiatimes.

Furthermore, China's position maintains that it has cooperated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and shared necessary information promptly. The white paper reiterates findings from a joint WHO-China study that described a lab leak as "extremely unlikely," urging the international community to refocus its inquiries towards the United States. A Chinese official stated that future investigations should target early cases on American soil, reiterating their position on the pandemic's origins, according to indiatimes and aa.