Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized the Chinese Communist government for deliberately hiding the severity of the outbreak from the world in early January at a State Department press conference on April 29, 2020.
The State Department on Friday (Jan. 15) disclosed previously unreleased intelligence information about the Wuhan Virus Institute or related to the global outbreak. Before leaving office, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo renewed his criticism of Beijing’s handling of the virus outbreak and urged the World health Organization to conduct a transparent and thorough investigation into such a possible connection.
In a written statement released by the State Department on Jan. 15, Pompeo said, “The United States has repeatedly called for a transparent and thorough investigation into the origins of the Chinese Communist virus. Understanding the origins of global pandemics is critical to global public health, economic recovery, and international security.”
A team of investigators from the World Health Organization arrived in China this week. The scientists, from various countries, will attempt to understand the origins of the Chinese communist virus. In a statement, Pompeo said that to assist the WHO investigation team in its important work, the U.S. government is willing to share “new information about activities within the Chinese Communist government’s laboratories in 2019.”
In the statement, released by the State Department, Pompeo referred to several researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virus Research who developed symptoms consistent with Neoconiosis and seasonal disease in the fall of 2019, before the first confirmed case.
Pompeo said the new information raises questions about the credibility of the Wuhan Institute’s senior researcher, Zhengli Shi, who has publicly stated that the institute’s staff and students have had “zero infections” from the virus in question.
In addition, Pompeo said the new information shows that researchers at the institute began studying RaTG13, a bat coronavirus, back in 2016. The institute claimed back in January 2020 that that virus was 96.2 percent similar to SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus causing the current global pandemic.
Pompeo said that since the outbreak, the institute has lacked transparency in its research on RaTG13 or other similar viruses, including possible “gain-of-function” experiments that enhance the virus’ transmissibility and lethality.
Pompeo also cited the Wuhan Institute of Virus Research’s collaboration with the Chinese Communist military on publications and classified projects, among other things, saying the institute has been doing classified research for the military since 2017, including animal experiments.
Pompeo urged WHO investigators to demand an explanation from the Chinese Communist Party authorities on the aforementioned issues.
Pompeo said the CCP virus outbreak could have been avoided. Any responsible country would have invited world health investigators to Wuhan within days of the outbreak, but the Chinese Communist Party refused such help, including from the United States; instead punishing doctors, scientists and journalists who tried to warn the world about the threat of the virus.
He said, “Beijing today continues to refuse to provide scientists with the vital information they need to protect the world from the deadly virus and to avoid the next outbreak.”
The State Department document reiterates the U.S. position of unhindered access or access to virus samples, laboratory records, and personnel, witnesses and whistle blowers to ensure the credibility of the final WHO report.
Recent Comments