“The FBI has long held that the origin of the pandemic is most likely a possible laboratory incident in Wuhan,” Wray told Fox News. “This is regarding a possible leak in a laboratory controlled by the Chinese government.” Among other things, it was suspicious that the FBI chief appointed by then US President Donald Trump made his statements to the conservative broadcaster Fox News of all people.
Wray did not want to name any details or evidence – citing secrecy and pending investigations. At the same time, however, he accused the Chinese government of “doing its best” to “hinder and cover up” the work of the US government and foreign partners. That is unfortunate for everyone.
No consensus in US government
The Department of Energy, which is responsible for overseeing laboratories, had previously changed its assessment of the origin of the corona virus, according to the Wall Street Journal. According to the report, a possible laboratory failure is now also being assumed there, but only with a “low” degree of certainty.
After this publication, the communications director of the National Security Council, John Kirby, pointed out on Monday that there was still no unified view within the US government on the origin of the corona virus. “There is currently no consensus in the US government as to how exactly Covid came regarding,” he said.
According to the Wall Street Journal report, the National Intelligence Council and four US secret services assume that the virus became dangerous to humans through “natural” transmission. The CIA and another intelligence service, on the other hand, have not yet come to a final conclusion.
Struggling for a stance on China
According to commentators, the fact that the laboratory thesis is now being put forward once more might not have so much to do with the actual status of the investigations. Because in US politics the question of how to deal with China in the future is becoming more and more vacant: The tension in the Taiwan question and in the South China Sea, Beijing’s at least tolerant attitude towards Russia in the Ukraine war and most recently the mysterious balloons in in Washington, the voices calling for a tougher approach to China have gotten louder.
FBI: Covid originated in laboratory
FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a TV interview that the FBI had assumed for some time that the origin of the Covid pandemic was most likely a laboratory accident in Wuhan, China. China reacted with outrage.
And if you then also blame China for the biggest pandemic in decades, a more confrontational policy is easier to argue. Of course, China repeatedly vehemently rejected the laboratory thesis, even following the new developments – at the same time, the country showed only limited cooperation in international studies by the World Health Organization (WHO).
No clarification possible
The Financial Times pointed out that the lines between conservatives and liberals in the US are beginning to blur on the China issue. So far, staunch Republicans in particular have accused China of covering up that the virus comes from a laboratory, and Trump even spoke of the “Wuhan virus”. Democrats had joined the thesis of a natural zoonosis, which prevails in scientific studies and is also represented by the WHO. Not infrequently, the laboratory thesis was seen as a conspiracy theory from this side.
It may also not be possible to explain one hundred percent how the virus came into the world. This makes the question all the more a pawn in the political debate – because in the end nobody runs the risk of being proven wrong.
“Hawks” are getting louder
Several media outlets, including the Guardian and the Financial Times, noted that the “hawks” for a tougher policy on China were becoming louder and louder – not only among Republicans, but also among Democrats. This also puts US President Joe Biden under pressure. It’s a difficult tightrope walk for him: on the one hand, he has to show strength in the face of China, but on the other hand, he also has to leave room for more leeway.
The “Financial Times” also referred to the possible consequences of a tightened China policy. It was recalled that Australia, which became the first country to request an investigation in 2020, paid the heaviest price when Beijing imposed heavy tariffs on a number of Australian exports. However, Australia was not able to deter China, the conflict continued to intensify and also fueled the debate in the USA.
Dangerous confrontation course
A geopolitical situation in which the USA and China are on an open course for confrontation is extremely dangerous not only for conflict regions such as Taiwan and Ukraine. The Financial Times pointed out that the two powers must cooperate on global issues. The newspaper not only cited the fight once morest the climate crisis as an example: Even in the event of a possible next pandemic, the origin of which is statistically not improbable in China, the USA, like the whole world, is dependent on functioning cooperation.
