The United States President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that the virus originated from a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak was first identified last December.

“Being the first to report the virus does not mean that Wuhan is its origin. In fact, the origin is still not identified. Source tracing is a serious scientific matter, which should be based on science and should be studied by scientists and medical experts,” replied the article, adding that all available evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 is natural in origin, not man-made.

The article refuted the allegations China spread the virus to the world, saying that China took the most stringent measures within the shortest possible time, which has largely kept the virus within Wuhan.

The article denied accusations of China's initial cover-up and delayed release of information about the virus and said: “China has been fully open and transparent about its COVID-19 data. The figures can well stand the test of history. The data revision by Wuhan is a common international practice. As a matter of fact, it proves that China is open, transparent and responsible. China has all along been open and transparent in information release. On the contrary, some US politicians, scholars and media outlets that are hostile to China have kept slandering and attacking China. China is a victim of disinformation.” (ILKHA)