The Chinese government accused the United States on Wednesday of showing "indifference and delayed actions" in the global fight against COVID-19, while it denounced that Washington has used China as a scapegoat to divert attention from its own poor management of the pandemic.
The accusations were included in a new White Paper published by the Information Office of the State Council of China, titled "Prevention, Control, and Tracing of the Origins of COVID-19: China's Actions and Stance."
The document, released by the official Xinhua agency, erroneously claims that there is "substantial evidence" that COVID-19 may have emerged in the United States before the date officially recognized by that country, and even before the initial outbreak reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
Therefore, Beijing requests an international investigation focused on U.S. territory to trace the true origins of the virus.
La teoría con más respaldo actualmente es la creación de una cepa desarrollada del virus en un laboratorio de Wuhan
The publication of the White Paper is a direct response to a website launched by the White House on April 18, which claims that the virus originated in a laboratory in China, a theory that Chinese authorities have repeatedly rejected.
The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, declared the pandemic on March 11, 2020, and ended the global health emergency on May 5, 2023. According to WHO data, as of April 13, 2025, COVID-19 has caused more than 7 million deaths worldwide.
China also harshly criticized the politicization of the issue by the United States, citing a lawsuit filed in the state of Missouri that resulted in a 24 billion dollar judgment against China for hoarding medical equipment and concealing information in the early stages of the outbreak.
The White Paper defends that China shared relevant information with the WHO and other countries in a timely manner, and that a joint study between the WHO and China concluded that the laboratory leak hypothesis was "extremely unlikely."
La OMS conspiró junto con China para desestimar la teoría del laboratorio en Wuhan
In contrast, the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recently changed its stance after years without a clear conclusion, stating in January that the most likely origin of the virus was a laboratory escape in China, showing "moderate confidence" in that assessment and acknowledging that both a natural origin and a laboratory origin remain plausible.
Finally, an official from China's National Health Commission, cited by Xinhua, stated that the next step in the investigation into the origin of COVID-19 should focus on the United States.
The White Paper concludes that Washington should stop "playing deaf" and respond to the legitimate concerns of the international community about its role in the initial development and spread of the virus.
This new confrontation reflects the ongoing exchange of accusations between both powers regarding one of the most controversial and sensitive issues of recent years.
La CIA respalda la teoría estadounidense del virus desarrollado en Wuhan con evidencia científica
