Three Chinese research centers, including the bat coronavirus-tinkering Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), had been awarded more than $2 million in U.S. taxpayers’ money in the years leading to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new government report found.
The report (pdf), released on Wednesday by the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO), focuses on federal funds disbursed to three Chinese entities—Wuhan University, WIV, and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS).
“The selected entities are government institutions or laboratories in China that conduct work on infectious diseases, including pandemic viruses, and have had actions taken by federal agencies to address safety or security concerns,” the report states. “All three selected Chinese entities received funds.”…