The Biden administration’s soft lab-leak pressure on China
Q: So to get those answers, to do a proper investigation, you’re going to need — the U.S. is going to need access to the labs. Will you demand that? Will you put teeth on it? Will you even go as far as sanctions on China if they keep inspectors out?
BLINKEN: I think the international community is clear that we have to have — the international community has to have access, it has to have information, it has to have meaningful international —
Q: So what’s the real pressure the U.S. will put on China for access to the lab?
BLINKEN: If China denies the information, denies the access, denies the transparency that’s needed, it is —
Q: And you kind of expect that?
BLINKEN: Well, let’s see. Because —
Q: That’s been the history.
BLINKEN: Mike, at the end of the day it’s profoundly in China’s interest to do this as well, because, look, it suffered too in the outbreak of this pandemic. It presumably has an interest as well, especially if it purports to be a responsible international actor, to do everything it can to provide all the information it has to make sure we can hopefully prevent this from happening again.
