China slams U.S. of hyping up "lab leak" theory

BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese spokesperson on Wednesday once again refuted the COVID-19 "lab leak" theory, saying it is nothing but a lie.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily news briefing when asked to comment the claim hyped up by some U.S. officials and media that three workers of the Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill in November 2019, which, according to the allegation, adds to the credibility of the "lab leak" theory.

"If the U.S. side is sure of what it claims, then prove it," said Zhao. "What are the names of the three workers? What kind of disease did they contract? If it's saying they tested positive for the novel coronavirus, where is the report?"

"Let me say this: the U.S. side couldn't show the evidence because it is lying. It is only seeking to demonize and stigmatize China in the name of conducting studies of origins," said the spokesperson.

Zhao pointed out that, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, research has shown that evidence of infection in five U.S. states appeared back in December 2019. In Florida, 171 people with no travel history to China had coronavirus symptoms earlier than the state's first reported case. The mayor of Belleville, New Jersey, got infected in November 2019, over two months earlier than the first confirmed case in the United States. The EVALI outbreak that swept through several U.S. states in July 2019 cause pulmonary symptoms highly similar to those of COVID-19.

"Can the U.S. explain these?" he asked.

"The country always clams up whenever there is a call for a WHO investigation into Fort Detrick and the 200-plus U.S. biological laboratories overseas. What dark secrets are hidden out of sight at Fort Detrick?" the spokesperson added.