Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, WPR Newsletter and Engagement Editor Benjamin Wilhelm curates the week’s top news and expert analysis on China.
Rare public discord between Chinese officials spilled into the open this week when Cui Tiankai, Beijing’s ambassador to the United States, rebuked Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, for peddling conspiracies on Twitter about the origins of COVID-19. Chinese officials normally adhere closely to the Communist Party line in public remarks, so observers are questioning whether the spat is a sign of disagreements in Beijing over the party’s messaging.
Zhao has gained notoriety in recent weeks for peddling the conspiracy theory that the U.S. Army “brought the [coronavirus] epidemic to Wuhan.” On Monday, Cui joined the ranks of Zhao’s critics. In an interview with Axios’ Jonathan Swan, Cui said that he stood by a statement he made last month that it would be “crazy” to spread theories that the coronavirus originated in an American military lab, adding that “such speculation will help nobody. It’s very harmful.” He also argued, “Eventually, we must have an answer to where the virus originally came from. But this is the job for the scientists to do, not for diplomats.” Most epidemiologists believe the virus originated in China, and likely emerged from animals sold in a market in Wuhan.