China Accuses US of COVID-19 Origin, “Evading Responsibility”

Tensions between China and the United States are escalating over the origin of COVID-19, with China issuing a scathing paper blaming the US for the pandemic and accusing Washington of “evading responsibility” for the virus, Fox News reports.

The move comes amid renewed scrutiny of the lab leak theory, particularly after the White House revamped its COVID.gov website to highlight evidence supporting the idea that the virus originated in a Wuhan laboratory.

The Chinese paper alleges that the infectious disease was present in the US even earlier than officially acknowledged, directly contradicting statements by former President Donald Trump that the virus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“The US should cease from shifting blame and evading responsibility, stop finding external excuses for its internal malaise, and genuinely reflect on and overhaul its public health policies,” the paper asserts. “The US cannot continue to turn a deaf ear to the numerous questions over its conduct.”

The Chinese government’s criticism comes in response to changes made to the US COVID.gov website earlier this month. The updated site now features information bolstering the lab leak theory, including evidence suggesting a biological characteristic of the virus not found in nature. It also points to the proximity of the first identified COVID-19 case to China’s “foremost SARS research lab” in Wuhan, and notes the absence of conclusive evidence supporting a natural origin.

Furthermore, the website highlights concerns about former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci’s promotion of the natural origin theory and former President Joe Biden’s pardoning of Fauci.

The website also points to the origin of the “social distancing” rules and mask mandates.

The Trump administration’s CIA reportedly concluded earlier in 2025 that a lab leak was the likely origin of the COVID-19 virus. This conclusion contradicts earlier narratives in media outlets and among scientists, who initially dismissed the lab leak theory as a conspiracy.

In its defense, China cites a past joint study with the World Health Organization (WHO) that concluded COVID-19 was most likely transmitted from bats to humans via another animal.

The Chinese paper also criticizes the US government’s response to the pandemic, claiming it was “slow and ineffective” and set a “appalling example to the international community.”

“Instead of facing this issue squarely and reflecting on its shortcomings, the US government has tried to shift the blame and divert people’s attention by shamelessly politicizing SARS-CoV-2 origins tracing,” the paper states.