U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told one lie to cover up another in his continued attacks against China over its handling of the COVID-19 epidemic, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

On May 3, Pompeo told ABC News there were clear signs that the novel coronavirus originated in a biomedical laboratory in Wuhan, China.

In response, spokesperson Hua Chunying said the origin of the virus should be judged in line with science and facts, noting that so far neither scientists nor disease control experts have reached a definite conclusion on it.

"Why did Pompeo say he has seen evidence that the virus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan? Show us the evidence," Hua said.

She said the P4 laboratory in Wuhan is a governmental cooperation project between China and France, and it met international standards from design, construction to management.

Noting that the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) is devoted to engaging in exchanges and cooperation with various countries, Hua said it also set up an information-sharing platform on COVID-19, with more than 600,000 visits and 21 million downloads.

Hua cited Peter Daszak, an expert on virology and president of U.S. EcoHealth Alliance, as saying that the WIV did not have the virus that caused the epidemic. Daszak has cooperated with the WIV for 15 years.

Regarding the accusations of some people in the United States that China has been opaque and caused the spread of the epidemic, Hua said China had laid out a timeline detailing its epidemic responses on several occasions and the relevant facts cannot be clearer.

"We hope those U.S. politicians who are still playing their blame-dumping tricks can concentrate on containing their domestic epidemic, saving more American lives, and better safeguarding the health and safety of the U.S. people," Hua said.