Beijing, China - China launched its very own alternative Covid-19 origin theory in response to the lab leak theory increasingly gaining traction in the US – and it points the finger back at Washington!

A new white paper on China's pandemic response and the virus' origin rejects suggestions that Covid-19 started in a Wuhan virology lab and instead claims the first cases appeared in the US.

It emphasized a joint study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese authorities that said the virus likely transmitted from bats to humans through a third animal.

The study said that the lab leak theory was "extremely unlikely" because local laboratories were "well-managed" with high-quality safety protocols, and there had been no reports of compatible respiratory illnesses among staff.

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China accused the US of continuing to "pretend to be deaf and dumb" and of ignoring the evidence before them in favor of theories that are politically advantageous. It also went one step further.

"Substantial evidence suggested that Covid-19 might have emerged in the United States earlier than its officially-claimed timeline, and earlier than the outbreak in China," the white paper said, per state-owned news agency Xinhua.

"A thorough and in-depth investigation into the origins of the virus should be conducted in the United States," it added, accusing the US of trying to "shift the blame and divert people's attention."

"The United States should respond to the reasonable concern of the international community, and give a responsible answer to the world."