China urged the United States to stop politicising origins-tracing of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in remarks after the US Central Intelligence Agency indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from lab leak rather than from a natural source.
Origins-tracing is a matter of science and any judgement on it should be made in a science-based spirit and by scientists, Mao noted at a regular news briefing.
"It is 'extremely unlikely' that the pandemic was caused by a lab leak, this is the authoritative conclusion reached by the experts of the World Health Organization (WHO)-China joint mission based on science following their field trips to the lab in Wuhan and in-depth communication with researchers," Mao said.
She added that the conclusion has been widely acknowledged by the international community, including the science community.