China Pushes Theory About U.S. Labs in Ukraine

China accused the U.S. military of operating “dangerous” biolabs in Ukraine, echoing a Russian conspiracy theory that Western officials warned could be part of an effort to retroactively justify President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. 

“U.S. biolabs in Ukraine have indeed attracted much attention recently,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Tuesday in response to a question from a local reporter, adding that “all dangerous pathogens in Ukraine must be stored in these labs and all research activities are led by the U.S. side.”

He called on “relevant sides to ensure the safety of these labs” and said “the U.S., as the party that knows the labs the best, should disclose specific information as soon as possible, including which viruses are stored and what research has been conducted.”