ANKARA

Chinese health authorities on Wednesday criticized the US for “politicizing” the tracing of COVID-19’s origins once again, describing it as an attempt to smear Beijing, state media reported.

A spokesperson for China's National Health Commission condemned Washington’s move, saying it is aimed at politicizing a scientific issue, Xinhua News reported.

Last week, the White House launched a new website that claims to explain the origins of the COVID-19 epidemic, saying that "the epidemic began in a lab leak in China."

The comments followed a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which said Beijing firmly opposes US political manipulation of the virus origins tracing.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters the tracing of the virus’s origins is a serious scientific matter.

He said China has actively supported and taken part in global, science-based investigations in a spirit of openness and transparency.

Guo urged Washington to “stop politicizing and weaponizing origins-tracing at once, stop scapegoating others, and stop playing deaf to the questions concerning its role in the pandemic.”