Firefighters work near a building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 13, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Washington was once again urged to fully clarify its biological military activities with a responsible attitude, as such activities in Ukraine have become a shared concern of the international community.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the remark at a daily news briefing on March 14, citing information already disclosed about United States’ participation in and funding of biological laboratories in Ukraine that hold lethal pathogens.

The US has denied Russian claims that Washington is operating bio-warfare laboratories in Ukraine that involve deadly pathogens, including bubonic plague and anthrax. The US embassy in Ukraine has reportedly hastily removed information related to such labs from its website.

But when the UN Security Council met on biological weapons at Moscow’s request on March 11, the US Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused China of spreading disinformation in support of Russia.

Last week, US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland said, “Ukraine has biological research facilities” and the US is working with Ukraine on how to prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces.

Zhao said the US could not convince others by simply dismissing the concerns as disinformation in the face of evidence found by Russia in Ukraine, including documents, photos and other materials.

According to the information released publicly, Zhao said there are dozens of biological labs in Ukraine that are operated by order of the US Department of Defense.

Washington has invested more than $200 million in the activities of these labs, whose research aims to create a mechanism for the covert transmission of deadly pathogens.

Zhao asked how the US spent the money, what kind of research it conducted on pathogens, and why it refuses to open up the biolabs for independent investigations by international experts, among other questions. 

“The US responses so far have been self-contradictory and perplexing,” he said.

“As the US has always claimed itself to be open and transparent, why doesn’t it release detailed materials and why doesn’t it open up these biological labs for independent investigations by international experts, if it wants to prove its innocence?” Zhao asked.

For decades, the US readily pointed fingers at others and accused others of noncompliance, saying that they should accept verification and even resorting to sanctions and military operations, but when it comes to the United States itself, it refuses verification and tries to muddle through, he said.

“This is typical double standard. Moreover, given the credibility of the United States, it is very difficult for it to win the trust of the international community,” Zhao said.

China “firmly opposes the development, possession and use of biological and chemical weapons by any country under any circumstances, and urges countries that have not yet destroyed their stockpiles of chemical weapons to do so as soon as possible”, China’s ambassador to the United Nations said on March 11. 

“The purposes and goals of the Biological Weapons Convention should be strictly upheld,” Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the UN, told a Security Council Briefing on the Biological Security Issue of Ukraine.

“China has noted with concern relevant information released by Russia,” he said. To uphold the Biological Weapons Convention is “an obligation for all state parties,” he added.

The concerns raised by Russia should be properly addressed, said Zhang. “China urges relevant parties to effectively carry out their obligations under the Convention, provide a comprehensive clarification, and accept a multilateral verification.”

“The US Representative, in her statement, made groundless accusations against China, which we firmly reject,” said Zhang. He pointed out that the international community has already been raising concerns about the US military biological activities. “They have around the world 336 laboratories,” said Zhang.

“This number comes from the information provided by the US to the Conference of Parties of the BWC. The US always says they advocate transparency. If they believe the relevant information is fake, they can just provide us with relevant data for clarification, so that the international community can draw a conclusion by itself,” said Zhang.

Contact the writers at zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn