U.S. should fully clarify biological military activities: newspaper

BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The United States should act responsibly and provide a thorough clarification regarding its global biological military activities, including those in Ukraine, according to an article published in Wednesday's edition of the People's Daily.

Russia has recently disclosed information on the United States' biological military activities in Ukraine, lifting the veil on the U.S. "biological military empire," the article said.

The United States is the world's most active country in the biological military field, the paper said. In recent decades, the territory of its "biological military empire" has continued to expand, with its own data showing that the U.S. Department of Defense has controlled hundreds of biolabs in over 30 countries under various names. The alleged military biological research in Ukraine is only the tip of the iceberg, it added.

There is an international consensus on ensuring universal compliance with international treaties, making use of multilateral verification. However, the United States views its global biological military activities as its own business, with the consequence that nobody can bring it under control, the article said.

The United States obstinately asserts that it will decide for itself whether it has been abiding by the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), and it refuses to accept any investigations by other countries. Meanwhile, it falsely labels any country making inquiries as "spreading disinformation," which is a form of logic typical of bandits and an act of hegemonism, according to the article.

The United States should stop unilaterally obstructing the establishment of a BWC verification regime, as observing the convention is not about shouting slogans, and the authority of international law must be preserved, the article said.

Under the frameworks of the United Nations and the BWC, the international community should examine the documents unveiled by Russia and in the meanwhile, listen to the explanations from the United States in a fair and just manner, said the paper.

This would help restore the international community's faith in the United States' fulfillment of international duties, and would help enhance the global bio-safety level, it added.