NewsClick

NewsClick
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Covid-19
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • International
  • Sports
  • Articles
  • Videos
search
menu

INTERACTIVE ELECTION MAPS

image/svg+xml
  • All Articles
  • Newsclick Articles
  • All Videos
  • Newsclick Videos
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • Sports
  • International
  • Africa
  • Latin America
  • Palestine
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • US
  • West Asia
About us
Subscribe
Follow us Facebook - Newsclick Twitter - Newsclick RSS - Newsclick
close menu
×
For latest updates on nCOVID-19 around the world visit our INTERACTIVE COVID MAP
Covid-19
Politics
International

China Flags French Connection to Wuhan Lab, Says Kit Tested Every Year by Recognised Third Parties

The US should work with China as a comrade in the fight instead of enemy. Because only with the concerted efforts we can win this war against virus, said Beijing, hitting out at Mike Pompeo’s allegations.
PTI
07 May 2020
China Flags French Connection to Wuhan Lab, Says Kit Tested Every Year by Recognised Third Parties

Image Courtesy: CNBC TV18

Beijing: China on Thursday said the bio-lab in Wuhan, which is in the eye of storm in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, is a Sino-French cooperation project with its staff trained in France, even as it sounded ambivalent about agreeing for a World Health Organisation (WHO) probe into the origin of COVID-19.

Accusing US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, of fabricating lies over the involvement of the virology lab in Wuhan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying sought to deflect criticism over its role by highlighting its French connection.

"May be he still doesn't know the P4 Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) lab is a China-French government cooperation project and it followed international standards in its design construction and management," Hua told a media briefing here while responding to Pompeo’s allegations.

"The first batch of staff was trained at French labs," she said, adding that its equipment is tested every year by internationally recognised third parties.

In recent days, US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo have claimed that the deadly virus originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak was first detected last December.

Hua again asked Pompeo to show "enormous evidence" he has to prove that the novel coronavirus originated from the lab in Wuhan. "He (Pompeo) contradicts himself. He is making lies to cover up other lies. It is an open secret," she said.

About President Trump’s assertion that COVID-19 attack was worse than that of the Pearl Harbour attack in World War-II and September 1, 2001 terrorist attack, Hua said that in such a case the enemy is coronavirus, not China.

"If it can be compared to pearl harbour or 9/11 attack, so the enemy US faces is coronavirus. The US should work with China as a comrade in the fight instead of enemy. Because only with the concerted efforts we can win this war against virus," she said.

"But regrettably, we see some in the US officials shifting the blame which we believe is wrong”, she said.

While China contained the virus attack in over two months, the US being highly developed country has not succeeded yet, she said.

Since emerging in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December, the coronavirus is confirmed to have infected 1.2 million Americans, killing more than 73,000.

Hua sounded ambivalent about China agreeing for an inquiry by the WHO into the origin of the coronavirus.

Asked about reports that Chen Xu, China’s ambassador to UN institutions in Geneva, backed the WHO probe, Hua said, "we have never said we oppose WHO. We have been supporting WHO’s work. (We're) Cooperating with WHO in an open and transparent manner including tracing the origin."

"At an appropriate time we will have a conclusion on that. But we oppose the US and some other countries trying to politicise this issue and conduct investigations on the presumption of guilt,” she said.

"So in the future if it is good for human beings to deal with similar pandemics in future Chinese side can do whatever it can to achieve good results and make all the contributions”, she said.

She reiterated that the issue of the origin of coronavirus is a scientific matter and should be assessed by scientists and professionals.

Besides attacking China over the coronavirus emanating from Wuhan, Trump is also deeply critical of WHO accusing it of siding with Beijing in mismanaging and covering up the spread of the virus. He also suspended over USD 400 million funding for the WHO pending an inquiry

Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
COVID-19
Wuhan Lab
Coronavirus Origin
Sino-French Project
Mike Pompeo
WHO Probe
Related Stories
100 Former Civil Servants Raise Questions on Transparency in PM-CARES Fund

100 Former Civil Servants Raise Questions on Transparency in PM-CARES Fund

TN This week.

TN This Week: ‘Unwanted’ Farm Laws Set on Fire; Crop Damage Dampens Harvest Festival

60 Israeli teens reject military service over Israeli apartheid, neoliberalism, and denial of the Nakba

60 Israeli Teens Reject Military Service Over Israeli Apartheid, Neoliberalism, and Denial of the Nakba

On Monday January 11, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US has put Cuba back on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism. Photo: Secretary State Twitter

US designates Cuba as a “sponsor of terrorism”

Covaxin Controversy

Covaxin Controversy: Death, Enrolment for Payment Allege Volunteers, Authorities Deny

Migrant workers heading to camp from drop point in Sonapur, UAE.

Unresolved Labour Cases Pileup at Indian Embassies

COVID Vaccine in India

Pseudo Nationalism Trumps Science in Vaccine Clearance

TN: Differently-Abled Claim Discrimination by State Government in Pongal Cash Gift

TN: Differently-Abled Claim Discrimination by State Government in Pongal Cash Gift

How Long Must Poorer Nations Wait for Access to Covid Vaccine?

How Long Must Poorer Nations Wait for Access to Covid Vaccine?

Water Bodies Trading

Future Trade in Water Bodes Poorly for Earth and its Communities

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share

Related Stories

M.K. Bhadrakumar

US Makes Aggressive First Move on Russian Chessboard

19 January 2021
A regime change project in Russia was launched on Sunday with the return of political activist Alexei Navalny to Moscow.
Anees Zargar

COVID-19: Amid Apprehensions, over 3,700 Vaccinated in J&K in Two Days

18 January 2021
Srinagar: Fifty-nine-year-old Bashir Ahmad Khan was the first to arrive at Srinagar’s Sher -I- Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (S
PTI

China’s Economy Grows by 2.3% in 2020, Bucks Global COVID-19 Slowdown Trend

18 January 2021
Beijing: China's economy, which was the first to be hit by the coronavirus pandemic and early to recover from its impact, grew 2.3% in 2020, regist

Pagination

  • Next page ››

More

  • MP Police Reports First Case of ‘Love-Jihad’ Under New Freedom of Religion Law

    MP Police Reports First Case of ‘Love-Jihad’ Under New Freedom of Religion Law

  • Mining

    After Cabinet Nod, Environmentalist Question Need to Rush Big Ticket Mining ‘Reforms’

  • Gujarat: 15 Migrant Workers Sleeping on Roadside Crushed to Death in Surat

    Gujarat: 15 Migrant Workers Sleeping on Roadside Crushed to Death in Surat

  • covid 19 vaccine J&K

    COVID-19: Amid Apprehensions, over 3,700 Vaccinated in J&K in Two Days

  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with
about