The origins of the Covid-19 pandemic have been the subject of much debate and speculation since it was first detected in Wuhan, China in late 2019. On Monday, US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns called on the country to be "more honest" about the virus' origins and the Department of Energy reportedly concluded with "low confidence" that it was accidentally leaked from a laboratory.
The US government has not yet released a definitive conclusion on the virus' origins. However, the FBI in 2021 concluded with "moderate confidence" that it leaked from a lab, while a report from the US top spy official in October 2021 said that four US intelligence agencies had assessed with "low confidence" that it had originated with an infected animal or a related virus.
China's foreign ministry has denied the lab leak theory and called on US investigators to "stop smearing China and stop politicising origins-tracing". Some US politicians have called for China to be held accountable over the virus' origins, with Republican Senator Tom Cotton tweeting "what matters is holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable so this doesn't happen again".
The origins of the Covid-19 virus remain a source of debate and tension between the US and China. US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns has called on the country to be "more honest" about the virus' origins and the US government has yet to release a definitive conclusion. The FBI and other US intelligence agencies have drawn varying conclusions with varying degrees of confidence, while China has denied the lab leak theory. US politicians have called for China to be held accountable over the virus' origins, though any action remains to be seen.