German spy agency doubts U.S. 'China lab' coronavirus accusations
Updated 14:31, 09-May-2020
CGTN

Translating...

Content is automatically generated by Microsoft Azure Translator Text API. CGTN is not responsible for any of the translations.

Error loading player: No playable sources found
01:07

A German intelligence report casts doubts on U.S. allegations that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory and says the accusations are an attempt to divert attention from U.S. failure to rein in the disease, Der Spiegel magazine reported on Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday there was "a significant amount of evidence" that the coronavirus had emerged from a Chinese laboratory, but did not dispute U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that it was not man-made.

Spiegel said Germany's BND spy agency had asked members of the U.S.-led "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance for evidence to support the accusation. None of the alliance's members, the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, wanted to support Pompeo's claim, it said.

An intelligence report prepared for German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer concluded that the U.S. accusations were a deliberate attempt to divert public attention away from President Donald Trump's "own failures".

A German government spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Trump has said he has evidence the virus could have originated in a Chinese lab, but he has declined to elaborate.

U.S. deaths from the coronavirus exceeded 75,000 on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally, with mixed messages from the White House and state governments on how to slow the rate of infection.

Deaths in the United States, the epicenter of the pandemic, have averaged 2,000 a day since mid-April.

Source(s): Reuters
MORE FROM CGTN
China harnesses AI to revolutionize smart breeding, crop development
{"type":2,"value":"CGTN","commentator":[],"valueShow":true,"commentatorShow":false}

Nature

07:47, 26-Mar-2025

AI & innovation a panacea against uncertainty as BFA 2025 kicks off
{"type":2,"value":"Ankit Prasad","commentator":[],"valueShow":true,"commentatorShow":false}

Biz Analysis

05:26, 26-Mar-2025

Taiwan's semiconductor dependency a geopolitical cautionary tale
{"type":2,"value":"CGTN","commentator":[{"id":407,"name":"Gong Zhe","photograph":"https://news.cgtn.com/editor/2020-09-28/43/image/1601277199374.png","url":"https://www.cgtn.com/stars/Gong-Zhe.html"}],"valueShow":false,"commentatorShow":true}

Opinion

15:08, 25-Mar-2025

Global leaders talk about bridging the digital divide at Boao Forum
{"type":2,"value":"CGTN","commentator":[{"id":407,"name":"Gong Zhe","photograph":"https://news.cgtn.com/editor/2020-09-28/43/image/1601277199374.png","url":"https://www.cgtn.com/stars/Gong-Zhe.html"}],"valueShow":false,"commentatorShow":true}

Technology

14:33, 25-Mar-2025

TOP NEWS
Asia's economy to grow 4.5% in 2025: Boao Forum for Asia report
{"type":2,"value":"CGTN","commentator":[],"valueShow":true,"commentatorShow":false}

Economy

07:13, 25-Mar-2025

Under DPP, TSMC is 'a piece of meat on chopping block': spokesperson
{"type":2,"value":"CGTN","commentator":[],"valueShow":true,"commentatorShow":false}

China

06:16, 26-Mar-2025

Experts: Long road to a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire after Riyadh talks
{"type":2,"value":"CGTN","commentator":[],"valueShow":true,"commentatorShow":false}

Politics

04:12, 26-Mar-2025