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Coronavirus pandemic
ChinaScience

The Chinese book at the bottom of Sars bioweapons claims that emerged amid coronavirus pandemic

  • Material cited in Australian report easily available and written by professor who says his theory was not taken seriously
  • Book cites unclassified American research in biological weapons section

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The consensus in the international scientific community is that Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, originated in animals before making the leap to humans. Photo: Zuma Press/TNS
Stephen Chen
It sounded like the stuff of tabloids but a claim published on the weekend that Chinese military scientists discussed weaponising a deadly strain of coronavirus came from a mainstream Australian media outlet.

The Weekend Australian reported on Saturday that a document written by People’s Liberation Army scientists and senior Chinese public health officials five years before the outbreak of Covid-19 described Sars ­coronaviruses as heralding a “new era of genetic weapons”.

The report said that in the document the Chinese scientists outlined their ideas that a third world war would be fought with biological weapons.

The report quoted a digital forensics specialist who had “previously analysed leaked Chinese government documents” as verifying the ­authenticity of the paper.

It also quoted British and Australian foreign affairs and intelligence officials as saying the document – which was “obtained by the US State Department” – raised major concerns about China’s lack of transparency over the origins of Covid-19.

04:46

Seeking the invisible: hunt for origins of deadly Covid-19 coronavirus will take scientists to Wuhan

Seeking the invisible: hunt for origins of deadly Covid-19 coronavirus will take scientists to Wuhan

Only the “document” cited in the report is far from being leaked, top-secret military material.

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