China asks Pompeo to show virus origin proof

Beijing: No evidence from US to back its claims, says WHO

● A CHINESE medical researcher on the “verge of making very significant” Covid-19 findings has been found shot dead in Pennsylvania. University of Pittsburgh professor Bing Liu, 37, was found dead inside his home in Ross Township with gunshot wounds.

Beijing, May 6: China on Wednesday dared US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to show the “enormous evidence” he claimed to have to prove that the

Covid-19 originated from a lab in Wuhan and asserted that the virus was not man-made.

On May 3, Pompeo said that the US has “enormous evidence” to show that the

Covid-19 began in the Wuhan Institute of Virology and Beijing has refused to give international scientists access to learn what happened. “He (Pompeo) said ‘enormous evidence’. Then show us,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here.

“Pompeo cannot present any evidence because he does not have any,” Hua said. “This matter should be handled by scientists and professionals instead of politicians out of their domestic political need.” She said the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that the US has not presented any evidence to it so far to back up its claims.

“On the issue of the origin of Covid-19, people have different opinions. I think tracing the origin is a very serious matter. That should be researched by scientists and professionals,” she said. “Almost all top scientists, including those in the US, believe that this virus came from nature, not man-made and there is no possibility that it was leaked from a lab,” she said.

“The WHO officials also said all the evidence showed that the virus is not man-made,” she said. Hua also said all countries must examine the reports that the cases of Covid-19 were reported in some countries in September and December last year.