"This is worse than a crime, it's a mistake." Talleyrand

There are some mistakes that are too colossal to be punished. Covid now stands as the classic example of this, especially because if the Wuhan lab leak theory is correct the damage caused is incalculable and China is too important to be punished for it.

I imagine that Biden commissioned a public report with a deadline in response to political pressure and because there is enough circumstantial evidence to justify it. If, as is possible, the report makes a credible case, he will have to be content with a propaganda victory that depends on the report's facticity.

Given past denials, does anyone on this board believe that China will ever acknowledge a leak? And given all the other global issues, it would almost be irresponsible to make US-China policy depend on an acknowledgement, much less an apology. If there was a leak, the best one can hope for is that the Chinese have identified the problem and fixed lax lab procedures or prohibited gain-of-function experiments. And that other countries, including ours, follow.