Zhao Lijian Photo: VCG

Facts show that the so-called research on the origins of the COVID-19 that some countries, especially the US, are conducting only aims to dodge their responsibilities and smear China, Chinese Foreign Ministry said, noting that they even "stretched their black hands into the field of science and made a partisan silence campaign on scientists."

The comments were made by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday's routine press conference in response to a previous interview in which a professor from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University, denied that the virus came from the lab and said "The lab story is over!"

The professor, Vincent Racaniello, said in an in interview with China Central Television that the main reason why the US has repeatedly raised the issue of the origins of COVID-19 is that it is trying to politicize it and completely ignore scientific facts.

American virologist Angela Rasmussen, who spoke out against the "lab leak" conspiracy theory, has posted online violence, harassment and even death threats on her Twitter. 

Australian virologist Danielle Anderson, who once worked inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology and refuted the theory of the "lab leak" with her own experience, was also subjected to frequent abuse and threats, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. 

Origin-tracing is a scientific issue and should be carried out by global scientists in cooperation. However, it is regrettable to see that some scientists have been subjected to political pressure, abuse and even threats while conducting origin-tracing research on the basis of objectivity and fairness, said Zhao. 

"They pride themselves as 'beacons of democracy' and 'model of human rights,' always pointing fingers and accusing other countries of coercion, repression and infringement of freedom," Zhao said.

However, they acquiesced and condoned such incitement of damaging others' reputation, which only proves that their self-promotion is not true. It can only prove that they believe in conspiracies and they are desperate for own political interests, Zhao noted.

Zhao hopes that these countries will change their approaches, respect science, stop coercing scientists and politicizing the issue of origin tracing, and avoid destroying the common cause ofthe international community to fight the epidemic.