coronavirus, following similar concerns raised by the French president in a show of disapproval over Beijing’s handling of the pandemic. Merkel joins a growing chorus demanding that China release more information about the virus, underlining the level of unease for the European leader who is generally seen as less critical of the Chinese government in public.
Despite mounting international pressure, Chinese government advisers have indicated that Beijing is unlikely to bow to the United States to allow a visit to a Wuhan virology lab, the focal point of US conspiracy theories that the virus was engineered.Both France and Germany have distanced themselves from US claims suggesting a possible link between the virus and the lab – claims also rejected by China.
