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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he has no evidence to suggest the coronavirus originated in a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
"What we have before us doesn't suggest that that is the likely source," Morrison told a news conference in Canberra.
"There's nothing we have that would indicate that was the likely source, though you can't rule anything out in these environments," he said.
"We know it started in China, we know it started in Wuhan, the most likely scenario that has been canvassed relates to wildlife wet markets, but that's a matter that would have to be thoroughly assessed."
The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) has rejected suggestions the coronavirus came from its laboratory.
Most scientists now say the virus originated in wildlife, with bats and pangolins identified as possible host species.
A statement from U.S. intelligence agencies released Thursday debunked the conspiracy theory about the origin of the novel coronavirus, concluding that it was "not manmade or genetically modified."
Relations between Australia and China have been strained since the government began canvassing support in mid-April for an international inquiry into the outbreak.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said Tuesday with NBC that the virus can be really cunning, and its source is a serious and complex matter of science that must be studied by scientists and medical experts.
"Something strange now is that a few political figures, who supposedly are economists and intelligence people, are giving sensational accounts of the source of COVID-19. It is widely confirmed by experts that COVID-19 is not from labs. But some politicians are so insistent on the assertion of COVID-19 coming from a lab in Wuhan. Isn't this preposterous?" Le said.
"A joint statement by 27 professional experts published at the Lancet, a world-class medical journal, also reaffirms that COVID-19 has a natural origin, and is not artificially synthesized. We need to listen to experts, rather than politicians. We need to respect science and refrain from resorting to conspiracy theories," he stressed.
(CGTN)
