US Energy Department reports origin of Covid-19 virus in China
As tensions with China increase, US Department of Energy claims that new intelligence may point to a lab leak as the origin of covid-19.
The origins of covid-19 are again in the headlines after The Wall Street Journal reported on an internal Department of Energy memo that allegedly points to a lab leak as an exit point from which the virus began to circulate. However, the reporting from the Journal does not name any sources, and the document itself has not been released.
Until clearer information becomes available, the public should be careful not to develop strong opinions over the origins of covid-19 based on unnamed sources and confidential intelligence. There is a major difference between being presented with evidence of a leak and unsourced reporting of a document that is not accessible to the public.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds
The Chinese government has denied allegations that the virus escaped from a lab, and pointed to the joint investigation completed with the World Health Organization —a process that was widely criticized for lacking transparency. That report stated that the possibility that the virus originated in a lab was “extremely unlikely.”
When asked about the reporting from The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning responded that “the origins-tracing of SARS-CoV-2 is about science and should not be politicized.”
China feels that the government has been forthcoming and cooperative with international organizations as they carried out their investigations, and added that those spreading “‘lab leak’ narrative” should “stop smearing China and stop politicizing origins-tracing.”
Tensions increase between China and the US
The news also comes as US relations with China sour. After the US military shot down a Chinese balloon, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken canceled his trip to Beijing. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs saw the takedown of their balloon and the cancellation by the US’ highest diplomat as an overreaction
More investigations into the origins of the virus that has claimed the lives of millions may be needed, but starting an international rumor mill based on unnamed sources will only further complicate those efforts in the future. Adam Taylor, a writer for the Washington Post, wrote that the US was entering another “round of lab leak speculation with zero new public evidence.”
The Journal also reiterated that while the memo’s conclusions are based on new intelligence and expert testimony, officials within the national security apparatus remain divided over the validity of the information.