Washington, (People's Daily) –The Chinese embassy in the US on Wednesday criticized some westerners for their political manipulation on the origin tracing of COVID-19.

Photo taken on July 23, 2020 shows the frontal exterior of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, Washington, D.C., the United States. (Photo: Xinhua)

To politicize origin tracing will not only make it hard to find the origin of the virus, but also give free rein to the "political virus" and seriously hamper international cooperation on the pandemic, said the spokesperson of the embassy in a statement.

“On the origin tracing of COVID-19, we have been calling for international cooperation on the basis of respecting facts and science, with a view to better coping with unexpected epidemics in the future,” the spokesperson said.

The Capitol Hill. (Photo: Li Zhiwei/ People's Daily)

Out of a sense of responsibility towards the health of mankind, we support a comprehensive study of all early cases of COVID-19 found worldwide and a thorough investigation into some secretive bases and biological laboratories all over the world, said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson noted that such study and investigation shall be full, transparent and evidence-based, and shall get to the bottom to make everything clear.

Lately, some people have played the old trick of political hype on the origin tracing of COVID-19 in the world. A smear campaign and blame shifting are making a comeback, and the conspiracy theory of "lab leak" is resurfacing, said the spokesperson.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, some political forces have been fixated on political manipulation and a blame game, while ignoring their people's urgent need to fight the pandemic and the international demand for cooperation on this front, which has caused a tragic loss of many lives. The lesson from last year is still fresh in our memory, the spokesperson said.