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China’s Ambassador to South Africa is Putting Himself in the Middle of the COVID Origin Dispute With the U.S.

by Eric Olander

China’s ambassador to South Africa, Chen Xiaodong, is emerging as a key voice in the bitter dispute with the United States over the origins of COVID-19.

The ambassador has steadily escalated his critiques of the U.S. for its claim that the pandemic began at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Chen now tweets regularly on the topic on his official Twitter account, while the embassy also frequently publishes statements on the issue. On Monday, Chen convened a press conference for local media to make the case in detail.

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