Social media post: China: U.S. has biological weapons labs in Ukraine.
PolitiFact's ruling: False
Here's why: China’s government is amplifying debunked claims about non-existent U.S. biological weapons labs in Ukraine, bringing the falsehoods back into the spotlight on social media.
A March 9 post on Instagram describes remarks from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who said on March 9 that the U.S. has such biolabs in Ukraine.
The post is a screenshot of Zhao at a podium with text that says, "China urges Pentagon to disclose alleged ‘biolabs’ in Ukraine ‘as soon as possible.’" The text also says, "Beijing believes the laboratories in Ukraine are just the ‘tip of an iceberg,’" and the U.S. controls 336 biological laboratories in 30 countries around the world.
A caption on the post reads, "Russia found over 30 biological labs (with evidence of bioweapons) in Ukraine formed by the Pentagon in areas bordering Russia. If true, this is more than a bit concerning."
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed.
Following Zhao’s remarks, U.S. government officials said unequivocally that the U.S. does not have biolabs in Ukraine. The claims distort U.S. government support of Ukraine’s public health laboratories that research infectious diseases.
Zhao’s remarks were posted March 9 in a video on Twitter. According to the English translation, he said, "Presently the U.S. biological labs in...
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