Chinanews.com, Beijing, August 23 (Reporter Zhang Weiran) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on the 23rd on the issue of the source of the new crown virus that he advises the United States not to pour dirty water on others, and first experiment with its own Let's talk about the investigation of the room's situation clearly.
A reporter asked questions. Recently, the University of North Carolina’s Biological Laboratory and Professor Barrick, known as the “coronavirus hunter” at the university, continue to arouse media attention, especially Barrick’s superb technology in artificially synthesized coronaviruses. The poor safety record of the university’s biological laboratory and the extraordinary partnership between Barrick and Fort Detrick.
Does China have any comment on this?
Wang Wenbin said that for some time, the United States ignored the conclusion of the China-WHO joint research report that the virus leaked from the laboratory is extremely unlikely, and insisted on hyping the so-called "Wuhan Institute of Virology Laboratory Leakage Theory", and even used intelligence to this end. The agency concocted the so-called traceability investigation report.
But discrediting China cannot wash away the United States itself.
"The United States has repeatedly claimed that the new crown virus leaked from the laboratory, but in fact, it is the United States itself that should be investigated most." Wang Wenbin said.
He said that first of all, the United States is the country with the earliest and strongest ability to carry out recombinant virus research, and is also the largest funder and implementer of global coronavirus research.
According to reports, Professor Barrick began research on recombinant coronaviruses as early as 1990, and his team has already possessed extremely mature coronavirus synthesis and transformation capabilities.
Barrick himself stated in an interview with Italian national television in September last year that he could "artificially modify the virus without leaving a trace."
In fact, as long as the investigation of Barrick's team and its laboratory can clarify whether the research on the coronavirus has and will produce the new coronavirus.
Second, the United States is also the country with the worst safety record for biological laboratories.
From January 2015 to June 2020, the University of North Carolina reported to the National Institutes of Health 28 safety incidents involving genetically engineered microorganisms, of which 6 involved coronaviruses including SARS, MERS, and new coronaviruses, and many The virus has been genetically modified, and a total of 8 researchers may be infected.
Except for a researcher who was bitten by a mouse infected with the new coronavirus in April 2020 and was isolated for 14 days, all people exposed to the virus in other accidents were working and living normally, and the relevant accident report also deliberately deleted the gene editing situation, the accident handling process, etc. Key details.
Wang Wenbin said that Barrick and Fort Detrick Biological Base in the United States, two research institutions engaged in high-risk virus and coronavirus research, "United States Army Institute of Infectious Diseases" and "Comprehensive Research Facility" have a close cooperation relationship.
Barrick’s abundant coronavirus resources and transformation technologies have also been widely used in Deborah through the above-mentioned cooperation.
The "U.S. Army Institute of Infectious Diseases" in Deborg had a serious safety accident before the outbreak of the new crown epidemic in the fall of 2019, and it was once stopped by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
He said that the United States is deliberately trying to prove that the Wuhan Virus Research Institute leaked the new coronavirus, but WHO experts have visited the Wuhan Virus Research Institute twice and concluded that the virus leaked from the Wuhan laboratory is extremely unlikely.
"Then, when will the United States invite WHO experts to the University of North Carolina Biological Laboratory and the "U.S. Army Institute of Infectious Diseases" to conduct investigations? We advise the United States not to pour dirty water on others. Let's talk about the investigation of the situation in our own laboratory clearly." Wang Wenbin said.
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