Pandemic Blame Reignites: Beijing’s COVID White Paper
The Chinese government has released a new white paper defending its COVID-19 response, rejecting allegations that it bears responsibility for the global spread of the virus. The move comes amid renewed efforts in the United States to lay the blame at Beijing’s door—including an updated official White House website promoting the lab-leak theory and the recent Missouri v. China case, in which a US court ruled that China must pay over US$24 billion in COVID-related losses. In response, the white paper is part of a broader effort to assert Beijing’s own narratives about the pandemic.
The white paper, COVID-19 Prevention, Control and Origins Tracing: China's Actions and Stance, makes three core claims. First, it defends China’s pandemic record, portraying Beijing as a responsible actor that provided early warnings, acted transparently, and contributed to the global response. “China made a significant contribution to the global fight against the pandemic, and deserves recognition and fair treatment, not baseless blame, much less demands for compensation,” the paper states.
Second, it rebukes the United States for politicising the pandemic. The paper condemns Washington for “misrepresenting China as the source of COVID-19” and for attempts to “manipulate public opinion” through “incessant falsehoods.” It also criticises recent legal actions as blame-shifting exercises, particularly the Missouri v. China case, where the court’s decision—though likely unenforceable due to sovereign immunity—remains symbolically important.
Third, and most strikingly, the paper turns the accusation back on Washington. It suggests the virus may have originated in the United States: “COVID-19 may have emerged in the US earlier than the US official timeline, and earlier than the outbreak in China.” The paper concludes with a stinging rebuke: “The US should cease from shifting blame and evading responsibility, stop finding external excuses for its internal malaise, and genuinely reflect on and overhaul its public health policies.”
By accusing Washington of spreading falsehoods and pointing to it as the country where the virus may have originated, China is attempting to turn the tables in the blame game. In doing so, it fights narrative fire with fire. Yet this approach is not without irony—or hypocrisy. By floating alternative origin theories with scant evidence, China also engages in the kind of irresponsible politicisation that it condemns. Lab-leak theories—whether pushed by Washington or Beijing—are not supported by the prevailing scientific consensus, which continues to favour a natural zoonotic spillover as the most likely explanation for the virus’s emergence.
Domestically, the respective narratives in the blame game serve distinct political purposes. In China, the official account of the pandemic emphasises national unity, resilience, and the government’s effective response, portraying Beijing as a responsible international actor. In the United States, blaming China aligns with the broader political agenda of the Trump administration, which has often expressed deep scepticism toward scientific expertise and traditional institutions. Trump’s pandemic narrative reinforces a populist distrust of established authorities and casts Beijing as the source of America’s pandemic suffering.