China’s Ambassador to Washington Cui Insists To Stop ‘Crazy’ Statements on Virus Origin

March 23 (EIRNS)—In a March 22 interview with “Axios on HBO,” China’s Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai denounced charges being made of a “deliberately spread virus,” whether made from China or the United States, as “crazy.” It was not the first time he had said so, but real animosity has erupted on the American side since Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian raised on Twitter the claim that American athletes may have brought the virus to the Military Games in Wuhan in last autumn.

Axios’ journalist quoted to Ambassador Cui what he had said on “Face the Nation” on Feb. 9: “There are people who are saying that these viruses are coming from some—some military lab, not of China, maybe in the United States. How can we believe all these crazy things?”

Cui replied that he stands by that statement. “That’s my position then and that’s my position now.” He further stated that it should be left to scientists to describe where the virus originated, and said it’s “very harmful” for journalists and diplomats to speculate about its origins. Cui also made clear to Axios that he is the one who represents China’s views in the United States.

Cui blamed people in Washington, as well, for spreading unfounded rumors, probably meaning Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who has provocatively claimed since January that the virus likely “escaped” from a biochemical lab in Wuhan. Senator Cotton has acknowledged, reports Axios, that there is no evidence for his claim, either.