China urges U.S. to provide clarification on biolabs in Ukraine

Biological military activities in Ukraine are the common concern of the international community, and the United States should act responsibly and provide a thorough clarification regarding its biological military activities, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday.

Zhao made the remarks in response to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s claims that there are hundreds of military biological laboratories, including almost 30 just in Ukraine alone. And many were set up in a number of former Soviet countries precisely along the perimeter of Russia’s borders, as well as on China’s borders, and on the borders of the other countries located there, posing life-threatening dangers to a huge number of civilians.

We welcome the joint assessment by the international community of the documents disclosed by Russia under the framework of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the United Nations, and we also welcome clarifications from the U.S. side, Zhao said. 

It also will be an opportunity for the international community to restart the negotiation for a protocol that includes a verification mechanism to strengthen the BWC, he added. 

“This will help restore the international community’s confidence in the U.S. fulfillment of its international obligations and strengthen global biosecurity,” he said.

cgtn.com