Official statements or publications from the World Health Organization

China Rejects CIA's 'Low Confidence' Claim on Covid-19 Lab Leak, Cites WHO Study

Jan 27, 2025, 10:07 AM

China has firmly rejected the theory that the Covid-19 pandemic originated from a laboratory leak, labeling it as 'extremely unlikely.' This statement comes in response to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which recently assessed that the virus was 'more likely' to have leaked from a Chinese lab than to have been transmitted naturally. The Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, Mao Ning, cited a joint study by Chinese and World Health Organization (WHO) experts, which concluded that a lab leak was highly improbable based on field visits to relevant laboratories in Wuhan. This conclusion, according to Mao, has been widely recognized by both the international and scientific communities. The CIA's assessment was made with 'low confidence' and follows the confirmation of John Ratcliffe as the agency's director. China has urged the U.S. to cease politicizing the issue of the virus's origins and to share data on its early suspected cases with the WHO.