Need definitive conclusion

In March, Biden tasked the US intelligence community to prepare a report on the origin of Covid-19, including whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a “laboratory accident”.

Biden said on Wednesday that he had received the report earlier this month, and asked for an additional follow-up as the intelligence community had “coalesced around two likely scenarios” but hadn’t reached a definitive conclusion.

Biden asked the intelligence community to “redouble their efforts to collect and analyse information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion, and to report back to me in 90 days”.

As part of this follow up, Biden outlined “areas of further inquiry that may be required, including specific questions for China”. He said the US will work with like-minded partners around the world to “press China to participate in a full, transparent, evidence-based international investigation and to provide access to all relevant data and evidence”.

On Thursday, China’s foreign ministry responded to Biden’s move by saying the US was playing politics as the WHO study had concluded the “lab leak” theory was unlikely. Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian also dismissed this theory as a conspiracy.

“Some people in the US completely ignore facts and science,” Zhao said.

China is known to deploy a strong infection suppression and tracking strategy, at times carrying out surge testing of cities full of millions of people within a period of days.