There’s no way out for politicizing origin tracing of COVID-19

Editorial by People’s Daily

COVID-19 cases are rapidly resurging in multiple countries, but U.S. politicians are still not “in the mood” for pandemic control. On the contrary, they keep telling lies and ducking responsibilities to undermine global anti-pandemic cooperation.

In an attempt to pass the buck to and stigmatize China, the U.S. intelligence community recently issued a so-called report on the origin tracing of COVID-19, and the White House also released a relevant statement. These documents, showing no respect for science and facts, are ironclad evidence of politicizing the issue of COVID-19 origin tracing.

The so-called investigation report by U.S. intelligence departments found no evidence they wanted, but it doesn’t mean that U.S. politicians would stop their political manipulation.

The intelligence departments craftily applied verbal tricks in the report to work hand in glove with these politicians. On one hand, they pretended to be “objective” by saying that both natural exposure and laboratory accident as the origin of SARS-CoV-2 were not ruled out. On the other hand, they wrongly claimed that China hindered global investigation and resisted sharing information, trying to find an excuse for their unsuccessful manipulation over origin tracing.

Excuses are everywhere if one is bent on hurling accusations at someone. The distorted acts of the U.S. once again proved that the true intention of the White House is to politicize origin tracing. It just can’t stop fabricating lies and calling white black, even when it runs counter to science and facts.

The U.S. side was lying through its teeth when accusing China of being non-transparent and uncooperative in origin tracing. China was the first country to launch global origin tracing studies with the WHO, and twice invited experts from the organization to proceed with the studies. Earlier this year, experts from the WHO and China jointly conducted a 28-day research in China and together released a report on the origin tracing of COVID-19. The conclusions they reached, which are authoritative, professional, and science-based, have laid a solid foundation for global cooperation on origin tracing.

Recently, the WHO experts reviewed their work in China in an article published on Nature, saying they were well supported there and the Chinese team shared abundant new information. The two sides also conducted a lot of discussions on further duties that were necessary and data sharing.

However, the U.S. is turning a blind eye to these facts, which vividly explains what cherry-picking is.

As a matter of fact, it is the U.S. that being non-transparent, irresponsible, and uncooperative on the issue of origin tracing.

Scientific studies have constantly brought forward the incidence of COVID-19 in the U.S.. According to recent research, COVID-19 infections were earlier than they were reported in at least five U.S. states. It is reported that the first COVID-19 death indeed occurred in early January in the country, two months earlier than what’s on the official record.

If Washington were really transparent and responsible, early cases should be tested; the reasonable questions raised by the international society should be answered, and the labs of Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina should be opened for investigation.

Being questioned by the rest of the world, the U.S. remains silent, comprehending China’s reasonable questioning as an accusation. It fully exposes the habitual double standard and hegemony of the U.S. when it deals with international affairs, and further indicates the true intention of the U.S. in conducting the so-called origin tracing: politicization and stigmatization.

Origin tracing is a serious issue of science. China attaches high importance to origin tracing and actively participates in global cooperation to find the origins of COVID-19. Being science-based, open, and transparent, China will always support and join origin tracing activities. It firmly opposes to the politicization of the matter.

Facts once again proved that politicization of origin tracing has no way out, and spreading political viruses would bring only huge consequences. The U.S. should immediately stop poisoning the atmosphere for international origin tracing cooperation, halt its irresponsible acts to hinder global solidarity in pandemic control and get back to the right track of science-based origin tracing and cooperation.

Both the novel coronavirus and political viruses shall be eliminated. It is a common aspiration of all the people around the world, and a prerequisite for defeating COVID-19.