Donald Trump claims he has seen eence the novel coronavirus originated in a Wuhan laboratory – but has declined to give specifics.
Speaking at a White House news conference, the US president said China either could not stop the spread of the virus, or let it spread.
Mr Trump said he feels confident the virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, adding that US authorities were “looking at it very, very strongly”.
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Medical workers take swabs in Wuhan, China
“We’re going to see where it is – we’re going to see where it comes from,” he said. “There’s a lot of theories.”
“China might even tell us,” he added.
Asked by a reporter whether he had seen “anything that gives you a high degree of confidence” the institute was the origin of the virus, he responded: “Yes I have.”
And asked a few minutes later what gave him such confidence, he said: “I can’t tell you that. I’m not allowed to tell you that.”
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The Wuhan Institute of Virology has dismissed the allegations and other US officials have downplayed their likelihood.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the clearinghouse for the web of US spy agencies, said it had ruled out the virus being man-made but was still investigating the precise source of the global pandemic.
In a rare statement the federal agencies said they concur “with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified”.
“The IC (Intelligence Community) will continue to rigorously examine emerging information and intelligence to determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said: “I would like to point out again that the origin of the virus is a complex scientific issue, and it should be studied by scientists and professionals.”
He also said the US should spend its time on “better controlling the pandemic at home”.
Though the origin of the virus has yet to be identified, it is widely believed it originated in a seafood market in the Chinese city, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the primary source is probably an animal.
Last month, Sky News revealed the UK was among the countries investigating the origin of the coronavirus pandemic, including a possibility it could be linked to a Chinese laboratory conducting research into diseases in bats.
A US official was quoted by NBC News as saying it was “a possibility, though not the most likely possibility”.
It is thought to be considered highly likely the novel coronavirus did occur naturally and is not man-made.
Mr Trump declined to say whether he holds Chinese President Xi Jinping responsible for what he feels is misinformation.
But he did criticise China for failing to contain the virus, saying: “This is something that could have been contained at the original location and it could have been contained relatively easily.”
He later added: “One of two things happened. They either couldn’t do it from a competence standpoint or they let it spread.
“I would say probably it got out of control.”
WHO blocked from coronavirus probe
Tensions between Beijing and Washington have heightened in recent weeks, with China suggesting the US military might have brought the coronavirus to China.
On Wednesday, Mr Trump said he was looking at imposing consequences for China over the virus.
More than 61,000 people in the US have died after contracting coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the outbreak.
