US should treat COVID-19 origins tracing as a 'scientific matter': Chinese official

NEW YORK -- A senior Chinese health official has rejected a US report blaming China for stonewalling an investigation into the origins of COVID-19, Bloomberg News reported.

China opposes the politicization of tracing the origins of the virus or using the subject as a tool to shift blame, Zeng Yixin, deputy head of China's National Health Commission, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.

"The United States should treat origins tracing as a 'scientific matter' and support scientists in various countries who are seeking answers on how the virus started," Zeng said, reiterating that the Chinese government fully supports virus-tracing work based on open, transparent, scientific and cooperative principles.