China Accuses U.S. of Starting COVID-19 Pandemic in Explosive White Paper, Reigniting Global Blame Game

In a stunning escalation of the COVID-19 origin debate, the Chinese government has issued a formal white paper accusing the United States of being the true source of the virus that triggered a global pandemic and killed over 7 million people worldwide.

Released by China’s State Council Information Office, the document directly counters renewed claims from the Trump campaign, which recently doubled down on allegations that the coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)—a lab widely known for its coronavirus research. Former President Donald Trump has even launched a new campaign website branding China as the pandemic’s culprit.

But now Beijing is hitting back with claims of its own, alleging that the U.S. is using China as a scapegoat to hide its “failures” in managing the virus and to “shamelessly politicize” efforts to trace its origins.

China has been fending off allegations of a lab leak for years, often becoming the target of China hawks in Congress who have advanced investigative reports into the pandemic’s origins

“The World Deserves an Answer From the U.S.”

In the report, Chinese officials state unequivocally:

“The U.S. government, instead of facing squarely its failure in response to COVID-19, has tried to shift blame… A thorough and in-depth investigation into the origins of the virus should be conducted in the United States.”

Beijing cites “substantial evidence” that, it claims, points to early COVID-19 cases on American soil prior to China’s first reported outbreak. Specifically, the white paper refers to respiratory disease clusters between May and October 2019 and antibody studies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing limited evidence of potential SARS-CoV-2 exposure in late 2019.

However, virologists and health officials caution that such evidence is far from conclusive. Antibody tests can produce false positives and often cross-react with antibodies from more common coronaviruses, such as those causing the common cold.

Retaliation Against Trump’s Renewed Lab Leak Claims

China’s bold assertions appear to be a direct response to the Trump campaign’s newly launched COVID origin narrative, which once again names the Wuhan lab as the only logical source of the outbreak. Trump’s website goes further, blaming President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci for allegedly covering up the truth about the virus’s origins.

The FBI and CIA have previously expressed moderate confidence in the lab-leak theory, but global scientific consensus remains divided, with many experts maintaining that the virus likely jumped from animals to humans in a natural spillover event—possibly at Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Market.

Beijing’s latest white paper, however, dismisses that possibility and calls for a global investigation focused on U.S. laboratories, highlighting over 1,500 laboratory incidents in the U.S. involving dangerous pathogens. The report omits the fact that the vast majority of those incidents were minor, with no serious health outcomes.

Shifting the Narrative: Weaponized Blame?

This isn’t the first time China has floated theories of a U.S.-origin virus. In 2020, Chinese officials suggested that American military personnel may have brought the virus to Wuhan during the Military World Games — a claim widely discredited by global health agencies.

Now, with global scrutiny of China’s transparency during the early days of the pandemic intensifying, this new white paper appears to be a counteroffensive—meant to redirect the narrative and stoke doubt about the United States’ own conduct.

The paper goes on to blast the U.S. for allegedly downplaying the severity of the outbreak in early 2020, comparing COVID-19 to the flu, and “wasting the precious time China had secured for the global fight against the pandemic.”

The White House launched a new Covid website earlier this month, where the official line is that the coronavirus escaped from the WIV labs while criticizing former President Joe Biden and top infectious disease specialist Dr Anthony Fauci.

Experts Remain Skeptical

Global health authorities, including the World Health Organization, have repeatedly urged countries to cooperate in a transparent and evidence-based investigation into the origins of the virus.

Yet the geopolitical tension surrounding the issue has derailed collaborative efforts, with both the U.S. and China accusing each other of obfuscation, delay, and politically motivated science.

“The politicization of the origin question has only made it harder to get answers,” said one independent virologist. “We need data and access — not more blame games.”

Conclusion: A Blame Game With Global Stakes

China’s latest salvo marks a deepening of the diplomatic standoff over the pandemic’s origins. While it may win points among domestic audiences and political allies, the international scientific community continues to view the situation with caution.

With over 1.2 million Americans dead, a battered global economy, and lingering public health consequences, the question of where the virus came from is more than political—it’s a matter of truth, accountability, and global preparedness.

But as both superpowers continue to trade accusations and revise the narrative, the world may be no closer to a clear answer — just more entrenched in suspicion.