China on Wednesday criticized the US for possibly triggering COVID-19 a virus that leaked from a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan.

What happened: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told the media that US intelligence involvement was evidence enough of the “politicization of ancestry tracking.”

“By rehashing the lab leak theory, the US will fail to discredit China and instead will only damage its own credibility,” Mao said.

See also: US Department of Energy Says Likely Chinese Source of COVID-19 Pandemic: Report

“We urge the US to respect science and facts… Stop turning lineage tracking into something about politics and intelligence, and stop disrupting lineage social solidarity and collaboration,” she added.

US intelligence chief Christopher Wray in an interview with Fox News said that according to the FBI, the Origins of the COVID-19 pandemic are most likely a potential laboratory incident in Wuhan.

Also read: A million people could die from COVID-19 in China next year: report

“I would just like to make the comment that it seems to me that the Chinese government has done its best to try to thwart and cover up the work here… the work that our US government and close foreign partners are doing.” And that’s unfortunate for everyone,” he added.

On Tuesday, China responded to a report by the US Department of Energy rated “low confidence.” that the virus, first detected in Wuhan in late 2019, leaked from a nearby government lab.

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