3 weeks ago
Report: US can compel China to reveal Covid origin truth
A long time ago, a very sick virus called Covid-19 spread all over the world and made many people very ill.
Even now, experts are not completely sure where the virus first came from.
Some people think it may have started in a science lab in a city called Wuhan, in China.
A new report says the government of China is not letting other countries investigate, which makes it hard to find the truth.
The author of the report thinks the United States should work with other countries to convince China to share information.
In America, a famous doctor named Anthony Fauci was asked questions by senators about the virus.
Instead of answering, he used a special rule in American law that lets people stay quiet to protect themselves.
Some senators, led by Rand Paul, think Dr. Fauci helped pay for dangerous research in Wuhan and want him to answer.
Many people agree that the people who got sick deserve to know the truth about where the virus came from.
A new report in National Review says China's refusal to cooperate makes it extraordinarily difficult to determine whether Covid-19 was engineered in Wuhan.
Author Jianli Yang argues the US should lead an international political and scientific campaign to compel Beijing to cooperate, saying it is time to stop allowing China to 'plead the Fifth.'
The article accuses the Chinese government of suppressing whistleblowing doctors, silencing journalists, censoring scientists, and restricting access to early pandemic data.
It urges Congress to conduct a comprehensive accounting of NIAID's relationship with EcoHealth Alliance and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right before a partisan Senate committee led by Rand Paul, who accused him of helping fund 'dangerous gain-of-function research' and said the committee may hold him in contempt.
- Who
- Report author Jianli Yang, former top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, and Senator Rand Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
- What
- A report and opinion piece argue the US should compel China to reveal Covid-19's true origin, while a Senate hearing revived allegations that Fauci funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan.
- Where
- Washington, D.C. (US Senate), with the disputed research linked to Wuhan, China.
- When
- More than six years after Covid-19 struck the world; Fauci testified before the Senate committee late last month.
- Why
- To determine whether the Covid-19 virus was engineered in Wuhan and to hold accountable those who allegedly obstructed or funded the research.
Critics of the Allegations and Fauci's Defenders
Report Author and Republican Lawmakers
Covid-19 Origins
Critics of the Allegations and Fauci's Defenders
No conclusive proof has established that the virus was engineered, and the report itself says China's refusal to cooperate leaves the question unresolved.
Report Author and Republican Lawmakers
China's refusal to cooperate makes it extraordinarily difficult to rule out that the virus was engineered in Wuhan, so Beijing should be compelled to reveal the truth.
China's Cooperation
Critics of the Allegations and Fauci's Defenders
The report admits that determining whether American agencies funded or collaborated on research crossing into 'gain-of-function territory' is the part largely within America's own power to clarify.
Report Author and Republican Lawmakers
China violated international public-health obligations, suppressed whistleblowing doctors, silenced journalists, censored scientists, and tightly controlled every stage of the investigation.
Gain-of-Function Research
Critics of the Allegations and Fauci's Defenders
Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination rather than answer the senators' questions about Wuhan research funding.
Report Author and Republican Lawmakers
Senator Rand Paul accused Fauci of helping fund 'dangerous gain-of-function research' in Wuhan and said the committee would consider holding him in contempt.
Key facts
- Report Source
- National Review, article by Jianli Yang
- Main Allegation
- China obstructed international investigations into Covid-19's origins
- Contested Question
- Whether Covid-19 was engineered at the Wuhan Institute of Virology
- Key Figure Investigated
- Anthony Fauci, former top US infectious disease expert
- Committee
- Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Committee Chairman
- Senator Rand Paul
- Possible Action
- Contempt proceeding against Fauci for refusing to answer questions
- Timeframe
- More than six years since the Covid-19 pandemic began
Sources
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