The Chinese laboratory accused by top American officials of being the source of the coronavirus pandemic researches the world's most dangerous diseases. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-secretary-of-state-pompeo-says-enormous-evidence-virus-came-from-wuhan-lab-296446">Also read: US Secretary of State Pompeo says 'enormous evidence' virus came from Wuhan lab</a> 
 
US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have both claimed that there is evidence the pathogen came from the lab in Wuhan — the city where the disease was first detected late last year.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-lashes-out-at-pompeo-calls-his-coronavirus-origin-theory-insane-296778">Also read: China lashes out at Pompeo, calls his coronavirus origin theory 'insane'</a> 
 
But the World Health Organization said Washington had offered no evidence to support the "speculative" claims, and scientists believe the coronavirus jumped from animals to humans, possibly at a Wuhan market selling wild animals.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/intel-shared-among-us-allies-contradicts-trumps-claims-says-coronavirus-outbreak-more-likely-came-from-market-296696" hreflang="en">Intel shared among US allies contradicts Trump's claims, says coronavirus outbreak more likely came from market</a>

The top US epidemiologist Anthony Fauci has echoed the WHO's statement, telling National Geographic that all evidence so far "strongly indicates" a natural origin.

China has strongly denied the allegations, but speculation and conspiracy theories have persisted.

Here are some key questions about the Wuhan Institute of Virology:

What do its researchers do?

Work by the lab's scientists helped to shed light on the COVID-19 pathogen in the early days of the outbreak in Wuhan.

In February, they published work concluding that the new virus shared a 79.6 per cent sequence identity to the SARS coronavirus and that it was 96 per cent identical at the whole-genome level to a coronavirus found in bats.

The lab's researchers had already conducted extensive investigations on the links between bats and disease outbreaks in China and had highlighted the need to prepare for viruses potentially spreading out of their natural reservoirs into human communities.

Scientists think COVID-19 originated in bats and could have been transmitted to people via another mammal like a pangolin, but there is no definitive answer so far.

What does it handle?

The Wuhan institute houses the largest virus bank in Asia which preserves more than 1,500 strains.

The complex contains Asia's first maximum-security lab equipped to handle Class 4 pathogens (P4) such as Ebola.

The 300-million-yuan ($42 million) P4 lab opened in 2018. A P3 lab has been in operation since 2012.

While the US intelligence community said it had concluded the coronavirus was not human-made, it added that it would continue to investigate if the outbreak started from contact with infected animals or from "an accident" at the Wuhan lab.

Could there be a leak?

US diplomatic cables seen by The Washington Post earlier said that officials were concerned about inadequate safety standards related to researchers' handling of SARS-like bat coronaviruses in the high-security lab.

The institute has said it received samples of the then-unknown virus on December 30, determined the viral genome sequence on January 2 and submitted information on the pathogen to the WHO on January 11.

Shi Zhengli, one of China's leading experts on bat coronaviruses and deputy director of the Wuhan P4 lab, said she would "bet her life that (the new coronavirus) had nothing to do with the lab", according to Chinese state media.

And in an interview with Scientific American, Shi said the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence did not match any of the bat coronaviruses her laboratory had previously collected and studied.

What do scientists know about the virus?

Researchers have noted that while there is no proof for the lab accident theory, there is also no clear evidence that the virus came from the Wuhan market.

A study by a group of Chinese scientists published in The Lancet in January found that the first COVID-19 patient had no connection to the market, and neither did 13 of the first 41 confirmed cases.

Professor Leo Poon of The University of Hong Kong said the scientific community's consensus was that the virus is not human-made.

"We need to look at the origin of this virus. It is important because, from a public health point of view, we want to know how it happened, and (if we can) learn from this," he said.

David Heymann, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, added: "We have a hypothesis that it came from a live animal market, and I haven't seen anybody provide evidence that shows to the contrary."

The Chinese laboratory accused by top American officials of being the source of the coronavirus pandemic researches the world's most dangerous diseases. Also read: US Secretary of State Pompeo says 'enormous evidence' virus came from Wuhan lab US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have both claimed that there is evidence the pathogen came from the lab in Wuhan — the city where the disease was first detected late last year.

The Chinese laboratory accused by top American officials of being the source of the coronavirus pandemic researches the world's most dangerous diseases. Also read: US Secretary of State Pompeo says 'enormous evidence' virus came from Wuhan lab US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have both claimed that there is evidence the pathogen came from the lab in Wuhan — the city where the disease was first detected late last year. Also read: China lashes out at Pompeo, calls his coronavirus origin theory 'insane' But the World Health Organization said Washington had offered no evidence to support the "speculative" claims, and scientists believe the coronavirus jumped from animals to humans, possibly at a Wuhan market selling wild animals. Also read: Intel shared among US allies contradicts Trump's claims, says coronavirus outbreak more likely came from market The top US epidemiologist Anthony Fauci has echoed the WHO's statement, telling National Geographic that all evidence so far "strongly indicates" a natural origin. China has strongly denied the allegations, but speculation and conspiracy theories have persisted. Here are some key questions about the Wuhan Institute of Virology: What do its researchers do? Work by the lab's scientists helped to shed light on the COVID-19 pathogen in the early days of the outbreak in Wuhan. In February, they published work concluding that the new virus shared a 79.6 per cent sequence identity to the SARS coronavirus and that it was 96 per cent identical at the whole-genome level to a coronavirus found in bats. The lab's researchers had already conducted extensive investigations on the links between bats and disease outbreaks in China and had highlighted the need to prepare for viruses potentially spreading out of their natural reservoirs into human communities. Scientists think COVID-19 originated in bats and could have been transmitted to people via another mammal like a pangolin, but there is no definitive answer so far. What does it handle? The Wuhan institute houses the largest virus bank in Asia which preserves more than 1,500 strains. The complex contains Asia's first maximum-security lab equipped to handle Class 4 pathogens (P4) such as Ebola. The 300-million-yuan ($42 million) P4 lab opened in 2018. A P3 lab has been in operation since 2012. While the US intelligence community said it had concluded the coronavirus was not human-made, it added that it would continue to investigate if the outbreak started from contact with infected animals or from "an accident" at the Wuhan lab. Could there be a leak? US diplomatic cables seen by The Washington Post earlier said that officials were concerned about inadequate safety standards related to researchers' handling of SARS-like bat coronaviruses in the high-security lab. The institute has said it received samples of the then-unknown virus on December 30, determined the viral genome sequence on January 2 and submitted information on the pathogen to the WHO on January 11. Shi Zhengli, one of China's leading experts on bat coronaviruses and deputy director of the Wuhan P4 lab, said she would "bet her life that (the new coronavirus) had nothing to do with the lab", according to Chinese state media. And in an interview with Scientific American, Shi said the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence did not match any of the bat coronaviruses her laboratory had previously collected and studied. What do scientists know about the virus? Researchers have noted that while there is no proof for the lab accident theory, there is also no clear evidence that the virus came from the Wuhan market. A study by a group of Chinese scientists published in The Lancet in January found that the first COVID-19 patient had no connection to the market, and neither did 13 of the first 41 confirmed cases. Professor Leo Poon of The University of Hong Kong said the scientific community's consensus was that the virus is not human-made. "We need to look at the origin of this virus. It is important because, from a public health point of view, we want to know how it happened, and (if we can) learn from this," he said. David Heymann, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, added: "We have a hypothesis that it came from a live animal market, and I haven't seen anybody provide evidence that shows to the contrary."

China's Wuhan laboratory at the heart of the Washington-Beijing virus spat

Chinese telecom giant Huawei, which has been caught in the crossfires of the Washington-Beijing trade war, on Saturday unveiled a new smart television, the first product to use its own operating system.

The television will be available from Thursday in China and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/huawei-unveils-own-operating-system-harmonyos-to-compete-with-android-241698">marks the first use of HarmonyOS,</a> chief executive George Zhao said, adding that it will be marketed by its mid-range brand, Honor.

Huawei revealed its highly-anticipated HarmonyOS on Friday as an alternative operating system for phones and other smart devices in the event that looming US sanctions prevent the firm from using Android technology.

American companies are theoretically no longer allowed to sell technology products to Huawei, but a three-month exemption period -- which ends next week -- was granted by Washington before the measure came into force.

That ban could stop the tech giant from getting hold of key hardware and software, including smartphone chips and elements of the Google Android operating system, which runs the vast majority of smartphones in the world, including Huawei's.

Huawei -- considered the world leader in fast fifth-generation or 5G equipment and the world's number two smartphone producer -- has been blacklisted by US President Donald Trump amid suspicions it provides a backdoor for Chinese intelligence services, which the firm denies.

Chinese telecom giant Huawei, which has been caught in the crossfires of the Washington-Beijing trade war, on Saturday unveiled a new smart television, the first product to use its own operating system.

Chinese telecom giant Huawei, which has been caught in the crossfires of the Washington-Beijing trade war, on Saturday unveiled a new smart television, the first product to use its own operating system. The television will be available from Thursday in China and marks the first use of HarmonyOS, chief executive George Zhao said, adding that it will be marketed by its mid-range brand, Honor. Huawei revealed its highly-anticipated HarmonyOS on Friday as an alternative operating system for phones and other smart devices in the event that looming US sanctions prevent the firm from using Android technology. American companies are theoretically no longer allowed to sell technology products to Huawei, but a three-month exemption period -- which ends next week -- was granted by Washington before the measure came into force. That ban could stop the tech giant from getting hold of key hardware and software, including smartphone chips and elements of the Google Android operating system, which runs the vast majority of smartphones in the world, including Huawei's. Huawei -- considered the world leader in fast fifth-generation or 5G equipment and the world's number two smartphone producer -- has been blacklisted by US President Donald Trump amid suspicions it provides a backdoor for Chinese intelligence services, which the firm denies.

Huawei launches first product with own operating system

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China's Wuhan laboratory at the heart of the Washington-Beijing virus spat

Huawei launches first product with own operating system