Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Some American politicians are playing the same old tricks again, making irresponsible remarks on multiple occasions that the novel coronavirus originated from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). They announced, in a high-sounding manner, a call for an investigation, and such ridiculous remarks were hyped by Fox News.

Anyone with a conscience can see through the groundless and vicious accusations that go against science. However, politicizing scientific issues, disseminating conspiracies and stigmatization are attempts to impede global solidarity and cooperation, which will cause huge damage, especially as the world faces extremely urgent challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seeking the origin of the virus is a serious and rational issue that calls for a science-based and professional approach. The so-called assumption that the virus came from a lab had long been dispelled by global scientists. The chief of the World Health Organization reiterated that there's no evidence that the virus was produced in a lab or for the purpose of making bioweapons.

On February 19, 27 medical experts from eight countries issued a joint statement on The Lancet, strongly condemning suggestions that COVID-19 is manmade.

The statement said, "Scientists from multiple countries have published and analyzed genomes of the causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and overwhelmingly conclude that this coronavirus originated from wildlife as have so many other emerging pathogens. This is further supported by a letter from the presidents of the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and by the scientific communities they represent."

Such an opinion was later expressed again by a research team consisting of scholars from the US Scripps Research Institute, Columbia University, Tulane University, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Sydney. The research team stressed in an article they published in Nature Medicine that the novel coronavirus originated from a natural evolutionary process, and was not a laboratory construct.

The US politicians cooking up anti-science stories have their secret political goals. They just can't wait to stir trouble, divert attention and shift the responsibility, from accusing Beijing for not informing Washington about the epidemic in a timely manner, to stigmatizing China by associating the virus with the country, and hyping links between the virus and the WIV. However, anyone who is rational and respects science would scoff at such farce staged by these American politicians.

Scientific and professional issues need to be addressed with a science-based and professional approach. "We have no argument to claim that this virus would have escaped or been manufactured in a laboratory," said Belgium's spokesperson for COVID-19-related issues and virologist Emmanuel André, adding that the genetic structure of the virus is natural. 

The claim that a virus was created in a lab in Wuhan is "a conspiracy vision that does not relate to real science," said Jean-Francois Delfraissy, an immunologist and head of the scientific council that advises the French government on the COVID-19 pandemic. Well-known academic journal Nature from the UK pointed out that "Continuing to associate a virus and the disease it causes with a specific place is irresponsible and needs to stop."

Lies can never outrun justice. The repeated politicization of the pandemic by American politicians, which impedes international cooperation on COVID-19 containment, has sparked huge indignation from the international community. On April 2, the Communist Party of China issued a joint open letter with 230 political parties from over 100 countries, saying "We call for science-based professional discussions on issues like preventive measures and the origin of the virus. We strongly oppose the politicization of public health issues and the stigmatization of other countries under the excuse of COVID-19. We stand firmly against all discriminatory comments and practices against any country, region or ethnic group."

Global challenge calls for global cooperation. Initial results of a UN initiative to help decide the future direction of the organization have revealed overwhelming support for international cooperation, which has grown significantly since COVID-19 began spreading around the world. The results indicate that cooperation and solidarity remain a mainstream voice when the world is threatened by major public health crisis and infectious disease. The pandemic once again proved the importance and urgency of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The "presumption of guilt" that runs afoul of science will never be admitted by the genuine scientific and professional spirit. Anyone that challenges science will not end up well.

American politicians should stop playing the ridiculous political games that run counter to science, cease politicizing the pandemic, and join international cooperation against the disease with concrete actions to dispel the dark clouds of the pandemic with the light of cooperation. This is for the lives and health of Americans, as well as the public health security of the world. 

All people dwell in the same community with a shared future, so it's better to do more to secure the homeland.

Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn