China urges US to clarify military-biological activities at home, abroad

China has called on the United States to fulfill its international obligations and offer clarifications on its military-biological activities at home and abroad, amid reports about Washington's military biological program in Ukraine.

A spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbing, said on Wednesday that Washington has so far failed to provide a convincing explanation for its military-biological activities, and has obstructed multilateral negotiations to establish a verification mechanism for the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

“We once again urge the US to earnestly live up to its international obligations, make comprehensive clarification and receive verification on its military-biological activities both within and outside the country," Wang said.

“The US conducts more military-biological activities than any other country in the world,” he said, adding that the US is “the only country that has refused verification on this issue.”

“Regrettably, the US has yet to provide any meaningful clarification. The only thing the world has been hearing from the US is empty slogans,” he added.

A Russian parliamentary commission investigating Washington's military-related biological activities in Ukraine concluded on Wednesday that the US is developing a "universal" genetically-altered bioweapon comparable to that of a "nuclear winter."

The commission added in its 207-page report that the probe into the manufacturing of the highly-damaging bioweapon was based on findings made public by Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops over the past year.

Russia accused the US of operating a clandestine bioweapons program in Ukraine soon after it launhced its military operation in the former Soviet country last February. The United States and Ukraine have denied the charges.

Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry said that a few months into Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine, Russian troops began compiling data related to the role and functions of US biolabs in the country.

The ministry said that the documents "confirm... the focus of the Pentagon on creating biological weapons components and testing them on the population of Ukraine and other states along [Russia's] borders.”

Russia says has documents showing US biolab activities in Ukraine

Russia says it has obtained documents that reveal US-funded laboratories in Ukraine have been creating biological weapons components and testing them on the population of the country.

In October last year, Russia asked the UN Security Council to establish a commission to investigate its claims that Washington and Kiev were violating the convention prohibiting the use of biological weapons as a result of alleged activities being carried out at biological laboratories in Ukraine.

The Council rejected Moscow's proposal after the US, the UK, and France voted against it. Moscow said the US opposition "confirms that Washington has something to hide, and that ensuring the transparency of biological research is contrary to US interests."

Commenting on the issue, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman further said that Beijing "supports the international community in taking a serious and just attitude and continuing to review the US compliance with the BWC.”

He also criticized the US for keeping “mum about its own compliance issue,” while it “always makes a great deal about compliance and demands verification for other countries.”

“Is there any 'secret' that the US is trying to hide?” Wang asked.

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