China criticizes hypothesis of COVID-19 leak from laboratory

BEIJING ( Associated Press) — China on Friday criticized the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic could have originated in a leak from a Chinese laboratory, calling it a politically motivated lie, after the World Health Organization recommended the way vigorous investigation of the matter. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian rejected accusations that China had not fully cooperated with investigators, saying the country accepted any investigation based on science, but rejected any political manipulation. He also reiterated his calls to investigate "highly suspicious laboratories, such as Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina" in the United States, where China has…