Global Times accuses Elon Musk of spreading Covid ‘conspiracy theory that slanders China’

Chinese state media has slammed billionaire Elon Musk, blaming him for spreading a “conspiracy theory” about Covid’s origins.

China’s state-run newspaper the Global Times has issued an ominous warning to billionaire Elon Musk after he tweeted about reports the Covid pandemic originated in a Wuhan lab.

Earlier this week, a report from the US Department of Energy claimed a lab leak could have caused the devastating pandemic, although the conclusion was reached with “low confidence”, meaning there was not enough information to draw a more definitive conclusion.

The Tesla founder then responded to a tweet regarding the unfounded theory that former US chief medical adviser to the president Anthony Fauci funded the creation of Covid-19.

The Global Times slammed Elon Musk for spreading a ‘conspiracy theory that slanders China’. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP

Musk, a noted Fauci critic, responded, alleging: “He did it via a pass-through organisation (EcoHealth).”

That was enough to infuriate the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, with the publication sharing an essay on social media slamming the new Twitter owner for spreading a “conspiracy theory that slanders China”.

“At the same time, these remarks of his have been continuously used by those US right-wing and anti-China media hostile to China as material to frame China,” the publication wrote.

According to a translation by CNBC’s Eunice Yoon, the Times also wrote: “Elon Musk, are you breaking the pot of China?”

China has never hesitated to clamp down on businesses and individuals who speak out against Beijing’s interests. Picture: Noel Celis/AFP

She explained that “breaking the pot after eating” was a common Chinese expression similar to “biting the hand that feeds you”, with the words viewed as a subtle threat, given Musk’s significant business interests in China, including a massive Tesla factory in Shanghai.

Unsurprisingly, China has reacted to the latest development with fury, insisting it has been “open and transparent” about the origins of Covid-19 in the wake of the US Department of Energy report.

#China Communist Party paper warns @elonmusk against pushing #COVID19 lab leak theory. @globaltimesnews posts on social media “Elon Musk, are you breaking the pot of China?” (“Breaking the pot after eating” is Chinese “biting the hand that feeds you.”) https://t.co/iWmMZAOiGtpic.twitter.com/nN1lhMDlYq

— Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) February 28, 2023

Speaking to reporters this week, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning Mao said China had “shared the most data and research results on virus tracing and made important contributions to global virus tracing research”.

“Politicising the issue of virus tracing will not smear China but will only damage the US’s own credibility,” Mr Mao said, regarding allegations China had been uncooperative.

China has also not hesitated to clamp down on businesses and individuals who speak out against Beijing’s interests, imposing tough restrictions that seriously impact companies on the nose.

Given China is one of Tesla’s biggest markets, the impact of any Chinese retaliation could seriously affect the company’s profits.