Beijing Focuses on US Bio Labs in Ukraine, Echoing Russian Pandemic Disinformation Tactic

The Chinese regime has accused the U.S. military of running “dangerous” biological labs in Ukraine, appearing to echo a Russian disinformation narrative forming part of Moscow’s efforts to justify its invasion of Ukraine.

“Lately US biological labs in Ukraine have indeed attracted much attention,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a March 7 regular briefing. “Russia has found during its military operations that the US uses these facilities to conduct bio-military plans.”

Zhao then went on to claim that U.S. data showed that the Pentagon controlled 26 labs and other facilities in Ukraine, adding that “All dangerous pathogens in Ukraine must be stored in these labs and all research activities are led by the US side.”

He called on “relevant sides” to ensure safety in those labs and for the United States to disclose the viruses stored in and research conducted in the labs.

Zhao’s comments hark back to the Chinese regime’s disinformation tactics during the pandemic, when it sought to deflect growing scrutiny on the possible role of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in starting the outbreak.

The disinformation appeared to stem from a misrepresentation of a 2005 agreement between Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense, wherein the two countries agreed to work together to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and to prevent knowledge from Ukraine’s labs being used for the development of biological weapons, the Kyiv Post reported in 2020.

Since the 1990s, the United States has worked with former Soviet states to covert Soviet-era bioweapons labs to facilities for non-military research under a program known as Cooperative Threat Reduction.

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