The State Department said on Feb. 27 that President Joe Biden has repeatedly raised the need for Beijing to address the origins of COVID-19 with Chinese President Xi Jinping, following leaked reports that a lab leak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 is the most likely origin of the global pandemic.
According to State Department Spokesman Ned Price, the president and his top officials have pressed Beijing to disclose more information and allow international teams to conduct unhindered investigations into the origins of the virus.
“The President has raised this, the Secretary [of State] has raised this, the National Security Adviser has raised this, it’s been raised repeatedly and consistently at various levels because it is that important to us,” Price said. The spokesperson made his comments addressing the administration’s attempts to “impress upon the [People’s Republic of China] the importance of transparency.”…}