Beijing rejects US agency report saying Covid-19 likely emerged from Chinese lab leak

The US Department of Energy has reportedly said in a classified report that the coronavirus pandemic likely came from a laboratory leak in China. But following local media reports about the agency’s findings, the White House said on February 27, 2023, that there was “no consensus” within the US government about Covid-19’s origins. The Department of Energy’s report also acknowledged that the conclusions were made with “low confidence”. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the report, saying it was “extremely unlikely” and inconsistent with a joint report Beijing made with World Health Organization investigators.