US intelligence report against science, did nothing but spread political virus: China Daily editorial

The takeaway from the COVID-19 origin-tracing report the United States Intelligence Community released on Friday is the security agencies have done the task US President Joe Biden gave them three months ago. It provides nothing valuable.

What has been made public about the report is that apart from parroting the two hypotheses on the possible origins of the virus — nature and a lab leak — all the Intelligence Community has tried to do is to lay the responsibility for the world's troubles at China's doorstep as required, by implying that it depends on information from China to further the probe.

That argument does not hold water at all. China has done all it can to cooperate with the World Health Organization's research into the origins of the virus. It not only provided the WHO with the genetic sequencing of the virus when it determined it, but also received WHO experts for field research twice, the only country to do so.

When they were in China, the WHO experts visited all of the places they wanted to, talked with all of the people they named, and obtained all the data and information they requested that China could provide.

The report the WHO issued in March on the field research praised the Chinese government for its full cooperation and transparency. Its finding that a leak from the virology lab in Wuhan was "extremely unlikely" should be taken as the conclusion of the field studies, and the foundation for research to be carried out elsewhere.

So when the US Intelligence Community in its report pointed an accusing finger at China for being uncooperative and lacking transparency, it was tantamount to telling the world that it had wasted three months doing nothing but cultivating the political virus the US administration has been sparing no efforts to spread since the previous Donald Trump administration.

It is clear that the US Intelligence Community is intent on turning a blind eye to the WHO's findings. Yet, without any new evidences, all it can do is to repeat conjecture and speculation to present a presumption of guilt against China. The report has exposed Washington's addiction to hegemony, and its defiance of science and callousness.

That said, Biden might feel disappointed with the long-awaited report as it does not provide him with anything new beyond his administration's clichés.

If the US administration really upholds the principle of science, transparency and experts-led research, it should put an end to its efforts to scapegoat China for the pandemic and not try to assume the role of judge and jury on the scientific work.

It can also contribute to the international origin-tracing efforts by allowing the WHO to conduct field studies in the US and support the global fight against the virus by respecting the authority, objectivity and professionalism of the WHO.