The lab promoted the idea:<p>Wuhan discussing "synthetically derived viruses": <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200212011902/http://english.whiov.cas.cn/News/Events/201512/t20151204_157114.html" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20200212011902/http://english.wh...</a><p>2017 conference at (Wuhan Institute of a virology) with gain of function research being top priority: <a href="http://english.whiov.cas.cn/Exchange2016/International_Conferences2017/201712/t20171215_187977.html" rel="nofollow">http://english.whiov.cas.cn/Exchange2016/International_Confe...</a><p>Ecohealth Alliance partnership: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210323171425/http://english.whiov.cas.cn/International_Cooperation2016/Partnerships/" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20210323171425/http://english.wh...</a><p>US Gov from state department: <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20210116001621/https://www.state.gov/fact-sheet-activity-at-the-wuhan-institute-of-virology/" rel="nofollow">http://web.archive.org/web/20210116001621/https://www.state....</a><p>EcoHealth Alliance Peter Daszak discussing gene editing in coronaviruses in december 2019 - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-Y843FFJvI" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-Y843FFJvI</a>
It is notable that if this was indeed a 'lab leak', the denials and misdirection by China have been <i>incredibly effective</i>.<p>Imagine the chain of events if they had just admitted "Yeah we made this virus, whoops".<p>The US probably would have demanded China pay for all the virus response. That's $16 Trillion, but originally looked much smaller - China may have agreed to pay. Upon such a debt not being paid, the threat of war probably would have been used. The outcome probably would have been either a massive debt crippling China's economy for 50+ years, or a real on-the-ground war between nuclear states.<p>The world would be a <i>very</i> different place today.