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Sorry but they're guilty end of...
China has rejected calls for an independent international investigation into the origin of the coronavirus.
A top diplomat in the UK, Chen Wen told the BBC the demands were politically motivated and would divert China's attention from fighting the pandemic.
Information about the origin of Covid-19 and how it initially spread could help countries tackle the disease.
The virus is thought to have emerged at a wildlife market in the city of Wuhan late last year.
Meanwhile an EU report accuses China of spreading disinformation about the crisis.
The bloc's External Action Service says Russia, and to a lesser extent China, have "targeted conspiracy narratives" in the EU and neighbouring countries.
US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly attacked China for its handling of the outbreak, and the state of Missouri is suing the Chinese government, accusing it of doing little to stop the spread of the virus.
Scientists have poured cold water on speculation that the virus could have been engineered in a Wuhan laboratory.
Europeans 'nervous' about confronting China
Governments in Europe have so far been wary of engaging in a diplomatic row with China at a sensitive time.
One UK official, who like others declined to speak on the record, said there was a "nervousness" about confronting China and that relations were "delicate".
Countries are dependent on Beijing for deliveries of vital equipment in dealing with the crisis and want to keep the flow of information open to help understand what happened this time and prevent future outbreaks, and experts say the approach needs to be carefully calibrated.
"We need to dial down the rhetoric and the confrontation because we've got something more serious to deal with," argues Charles Parton, a former UK diplomat in China and now a senior associate fellow at the RUSI think- tank.
In the US by contrast, the issue of China is becoming highly politicised in an election year with competing calls for a tough line on Beijing and pressure to investigate the origins of the virus.
China has rejected calls for an independent international investigation into the origin of the coronavirus.
A top diplomat in the UK, Chen Wen told the BBC the demands were politically motivated and would divert China's attention from fighting the pandemic.
Information about the origin of Covid-19 and how it initially spread could help countries tackle the disease.
The virus is thought to have emerged at a wildlife market in the city of Wuhan late last year.
Meanwhile an EU report accuses China of spreading disinformation about the crisis.
The bloc's External Action Service says Russia, and to a lesser extent China, have "targeted conspiracy narratives" in the EU and neighbouring countries.
US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly attacked China for its handling of the outbreak, and the state of Missouri is suing the Chinese government, accusing it of doing little to stop the spread of the virus.
Scientists have poured cold water on speculation that the virus could have been engineered in a Wuhan laboratory.
Europeans 'nervous' about confronting China
Governments in Europe have so far been wary of engaging in a diplomatic row with China at a sensitive time.
One UK official, who like others declined to speak on the record, said there was a "nervousness" about confronting China and that relations were "delicate".
Countries are dependent on Beijing for deliveries of vital equipment in dealing with the crisis and want to keep the flow of information open to help understand what happened this time and prevent future outbreaks, and experts say the approach needs to be carefully calibrated.
"We need to dial down the rhetoric and the confrontation because we've got something more serious to deal with," argues Charles Parton, a former UK diplomat in China and now a senior associate fellow at the RUSI think- tank.
In the US by contrast, the issue of China is becoming highly politicised in an election year with competing calls for a tough line on Beijing and pressure to investigate the origins of the virus.
