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China's state media INVENTED 'Swiss biologist' who 'claimed America had pressured WHO into investigating Wuhan COVID lab leak theory'
China's state media allegedly invented a Swiss biologist and quoted him claiming the US had pressured the World Health Organisation into investigating the theory Covid-19 was leaked from a lab in Wuhan.
The People's Daily, China Daily, and CGTN television channel all quoted so-called biologist Wilson Edwards but removed the content yesterday after the Swiss Embassy said it had no record of him as a citizen.
Beijing has repeatedly pushed claims the US pressured the WHO to investigate the possibility Covid-19 was leaked from a lab in Wuhan, where the virus was first found in December 2019.
China has insisted a leak would have been 'extremely unlikely' citing the conclusion reached by a joint WHO-Chinese mission to Wuhan in January.
Edwards was quoted by state media terming the WHO investigation a 'political tool' and saying the 'international scientific community' was 'disappointed' in the US.
The People's Daily reported Edwards told them: 'Unfortunately, Washington's re-entry has brought geopolitical competition to the science-spearheaded world body'
China Daily reported Edwards' Facebook post, quoting him as saying 'as a biologist, I've witnessed in consternation over the past months how the origin-tracing of Covid-19 was politicized'.
The article added Edwards branded the WHO's probe was 'largely politically motivated', without elaborating.
While state-run television channel CGTN reported Edwards said he was worried about the 'WHO's independence' and claimed the group of investigators probing the origin of Covid-19 would become a 'political tool'.
CGTN said Edwards claimed he and fellow researchers were under 'enormous pressure' and 'intimidation' from the US and some media outlets after voicing support for the joint WHO-Chinese investigation which in January concluded a lab leak was extremely unlikely.
The state-run television outlet also reported Edwards quoted an unnamed WHO sources as saying 'the US is so obsessed with attacking China on the origin-tracing issue that it is reluctant to open its eyes to the data and findings'.
Edwards had Facebook and Twitter accounts - both of which have since been deleted - which peddled claims the US pressured the WHO.
His Facebook page was created on July 24, boasted three friends, and had only one post which said President Joe Biden would 'spare no efforts' to rebuild US influence over the WHO.
The page indicated Edwards was from the Swiss capital Bern and included a picture of Oxford University's Radcliffe Camera, but provided no further details about the so-called biologist.
Both pages were deleted after the Swiss Embassy's statement yesterday which said they were 'looking for Wilson Edwards'. If you exist, we would like to meet you!', the embassy wrote on Twitter.
The Embassy said it could not find any academic articles authored by Edwards, pointed out his Facebook page was created only days before he was quoted in Chinese state media, and said there was no registry of a citizen with the name.
'It is more likely that this is fake news, and we call on the Chinese press and netizens to take down the posts,' it added.
(More on the link)
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China's state media allegedly invented a Swiss biologist and quoted him claiming the US had pressured the World Health Organisation into investigating the theory Covid-19 was leaked from a lab in Wuhan.
The People's Daily, China Daily, and CGTN television channel all quoted so-called biologist Wilson Edwards but removed the content yesterday after the Swiss Embassy said it had no record of him as a citizen.
Beijing has repeatedly pushed claims the US pressured the WHO to investigate the possibility Covid-19 was leaked from a lab in Wuhan, where the virus was first found in December 2019.
China has insisted a leak would have been 'extremely unlikely' citing the conclusion reached by a joint WHO-Chinese mission to Wuhan in January.
Edwards was quoted by state media terming the WHO investigation a 'political tool' and saying the 'international scientific community' was 'disappointed' in the US.
The People's Daily reported Edwards told them: 'Unfortunately, Washington's re-entry has brought geopolitical competition to the science-spearheaded world body'
China Daily reported Edwards' Facebook post, quoting him as saying 'as a biologist, I've witnessed in consternation over the past months how the origin-tracing of Covid-19 was politicized'.
The article added Edwards branded the WHO's probe was 'largely politically motivated', without elaborating.
While state-run television channel CGTN reported Edwards said he was worried about the 'WHO's independence' and claimed the group of investigators probing the origin of Covid-19 would become a 'political tool'.
CGTN said Edwards claimed he and fellow researchers were under 'enormous pressure' and 'intimidation' from the US and some media outlets after voicing support for the joint WHO-Chinese investigation which in January concluded a lab leak was extremely unlikely.
The state-run television outlet also reported Edwards quoted an unnamed WHO sources as saying 'the US is so obsessed with attacking China on the origin-tracing issue that it is reluctant to open its eyes to the data and findings'.
Edwards had Facebook and Twitter accounts - both of which have since been deleted - which peddled claims the US pressured the WHO.
His Facebook page was created on July 24, boasted three friends, and had only one post which said President Joe Biden would 'spare no efforts' to rebuild US influence over the WHO.
The page indicated Edwards was from the Swiss capital Bern and included a picture of Oxford University's Radcliffe Camera, but provided no further details about the so-called biologist.
Both pages were deleted after the Swiss Embassy's statement yesterday which said they were 'looking for Wilson Edwards'. If you exist, we would like to meet you!', the embassy wrote on Twitter.
The Embassy said it could not find any academic articles authored by Edwards, pointed out his Facebook page was created only days before he was quoted in Chinese state media, and said there was no registry of a citizen with the name.
'It is more likely that this is fake news, and we call on the Chinese press and netizens to take down the posts,' it added.
(More on the link)
.