Leading Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli working in Wuhan in 2017. She has denied the lab is the source of the Covid-19 pandemic
Credit: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP
Speculation that an announcement could be imminent was fuelled by a statement from Robert O’Brien, Mr Trump’s National Security Adviser, on Monday.
“The world cannot continue to pay heavy prices for its naivety and complicity in Beijing’s irresponsible and harmful practices – whether it is ending the rule of law in Hong Kong or not cooperating with health officials on the pandemic," he said.
He warned: "The United States is examining further options to respond.”
The Sun quoted a diplomatic source saying: “The US have stopped short of this so far but anything could happen in the coming days and the origin of the virus is top of their list.”
Last April General Mark Milley, then chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, confirmed that American intelligence agencies were investigating whether an accident at the Wuhan laboratory could have been responsible for the outbreak. He said at the time that natural causes appeared a more likely explanation.
The US has demanded answers from Beijing about the origins of the virus and last spring accused the World Health Organisation of enabling a cover-up by deferring to the Chinese Communist Party.
British intelligence sources have maintained that the available evidence suggests that the virus appears to have originated among wildlife.
On Tuesday, Downing Street reiterated its commitment to a probe into the origins of the virus in China.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’ve been clear on the investigation and on our desire for it to commence and answer the questions that are still outstanding.
“Investigators are now due to arrive in China and as we’ve said throughout it’s important that their investigation is able to commence without delay and we want it to make sure it is open and transparent and scientifically rigorous.”
The Wuhan Institute of Virology is a government research facility under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which itself is under the purview of China’s cabinet, the State Council.
Scientific research in China is often linked to the military, which operates its own set of internal institutions that conduct some of the country’s most advanced work.
One of the coronavirus vaccines China has developed, for instance, has been spearheaded by the Chinese military, led by Chen Wei, a scientist and general in the People’s Liberation Army. The exact nature of such partnerships are opaque.
The Wuhan facility, opened in 2015, was China’s first level 4 biocontainment lab, leading some experts to question the country’s expertise and ability to properly safeguard against biohazards.
The P4 laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology
Credit: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP
The foreign ministry in Beijing has continually denied any link between research conducted at the lab, including coronaviruses, and the Covid-19 outbreak.
“The fact is as plain as day that there is no evidence supporting the claim that the novel coronavirus came from a lab,” said a spokesperson last August.
Last week, Beijing again reiterated its stance: “Chinese media have published a series of reality checks on Covid-19, debunking the false allegations with solid figures and facts,” a spokesperson said, without providing further details.
Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director of the UK-based foreign policy think tank the Henry Jackson Society, told the Telegraph: “Allegations that the Wuhan lab engaged in incredibly dangerous research into coronaviruses will not simply go away — especially with China skirting international investigations.
He added: “The public deserve to see the unvarnished truth on what was happening in the Wuhan lab.”
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