Xinhua news agency, Beijing, March 15 (reporter Cheng Xin, Ma Zhuoyan) - Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on the 15th that China called on the United States to open its biological laboratory in Ukraine for independent investigation by international experts and stop its exclusive opposition to the establishment of the verification mechanism of the biological weapons convention.
At the regular press conference on the same day, in response to relevant questions, Zhao Lijian said that according to the agreement signed between the U.S. Department of defense and Ukraine in 2005, representatives of the U.S. Department of defense have the right to participate in all relevant activities of Ukrainian facilities, and Ukraine shall not disclose "sensitive information" recognized by the United States. According to the documents submitted by the United States to the conference of States parties to the biological weapons convention at the end of 2021, the United States has 26 laboratories and other cooperation facilities in Ukraine.
"However, the US Department of defense recently said that the number of laboratories cooperated by the United States and Ukraine is 46. Isn't this very contradictory?" Zhao Lijian said that China has also noted that for the right of representatives of the U.S. Department of defense to participate in Ukrainian facilities, Ukrainian side must store all dangerous pathogens in the laboratories of U.S. - Ukrainian cooperation, and hand over the dangerous pathogens requested by the U.S. Department of defense. Ukrainian side shall not disclose the key contents such as "sensitive information" recognized by the U.S. side without the permission of the U.S. side. The so-called statement made by the U.S. side a few days ago did not clarify these contents.
"How convincing is this? People have to question whether the United States has sent personnel to these laboratories? What is the specific scope of activities? How many cooperation facilities does the United States have in Ukraine?" He said.
Zhao Lijian said that according to the information publicly disclosed recently, these laboratories in Ukraine are operated in accordance with the orders of the U.S. Department of defense. The United States has invested more than $200 million in these laboratory activities. Russia recently disclosed some research plans of the US biological laboratory in Ukraine, including the up-4 plan, which uses migratory birds to infect avian viruses; The r-781 program uses bats to spread human pathogenic pathogens; The up-8 program studies Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and hantavirus. The evidence disclosed by Russia shows that the United States wants to obtain the means to release biological and chemical weapons by testing the relationship between migratory bird migration and virus transmission. In addition, these evidences also show that the United States and Western countries have systematically collected and transferred biological samples in Ukraine, and may have carried out biological research on specific races.
"In the face of these evidences continuously disclosed by the Russian side, how can it be convincing that the US side only said 'false information' perfunctorily? If the US side wants to prove its innocence, it should make a comprehensive clarification of its biological military activities in a responsible manner." Zhao Lijian said.
He said that China welcomes the joint assessment of the documents disclosed by Russia by the international community under the framework of the United Nations and the biological weapons convention. "We also call on the United States to open these biological laboratories for independent investigation by international experts and stop its exclusive opposition to the establishment of the verification mechanism of the biological weapons convention."