U.S. publisher rejects random lab-leak theory of COVID-19

WASHINGTON, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The outbreak of COVID-19 is less likely to be the result of a lab leak than a biowarfare attack, a U.S. publisher has said in a recent article.

Existential evidence suggested the possibility of a coronavirus biowarfare attack launched by Washington more than the lab-leak theory, said Ron Unz in a review article published on the Unz Review website in late May.

China had been hit by various viruses right when the country was locked in a growing conflict with America for years, noted Unz, the website's editor-in-chief and publisher.

Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 "appeared at the worst time and place for China," referring to the Lunar New Year holiday with a travel rush, and the major transit hub of Wuhan in central China with a huge volume of passengers, said Unz, who believes the timing of the emergence of COVID-19 is "suspicious."

"300 American military servicemen had just visited Wuhan as part of the Military World Games, providing a perfect opportunity for releasing a viral weapon," he noted, calling the scenario "a strange coincidence."

"The characteristics of COVID-19, including high communicability and low lethality, are absolutely ideal in an anti-economy bioweapon," Unz said, adding it's odd to speculate that a Chinese lab would release a virus perfectly designed to damage the Chinese economy.