China defector claims he warned of Covid in Wuhan weeks before it was confirmed

Activist Wei Jingsheng says he made the claims to US intelligence agencies in November 2019, weeks before China confirmed the outbreak to the World Health Organization

The claims emerged in a book and new documentary (

Image: AFP via Getty Images)

A Chinese whistle-blower has claimed he warned the US about the spread of Covid in Wuhan six weeks before the outbreak was finally revealed.

Activist Wei Jingsheng says he made the claims to US intelligence agencies in November 2019, weeks before China confirmed the outbreak to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In a new documentary, based on the book What Really Happened in Wuhan, he reveals how he had heard of a mystery virus during the World Military Games in Wuhan the previous month.

The defector claims he tried to alert officials to the seriousness of the situation that was developing in Wuhan after he was informed by contacts in Beijing.

He claimed he spoke to a politician as well as Chinese human rights activist Dimon Liu.

The WHO declared the outbreak of international concern at the end of January 2020
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Image:

AFP via Getty Images)

The former Chinese Communist Party insider made the revelations in a new Sky News Australia documentary called What Really Happened in Wuhan.

He said that although he would not name which politician he spoke with he said the individual had links to the then-US President Donald Trump.

He said: “I’m not sure if this politician wants me to talk about him right here.

“But I want to say he is a high enough politician, high enough to be able to reach the President of the United States.”

He said the information was not taken seriously and added: “I felt they were not as heavily concerned as I was so I tried my best to provide more detailed information.

Wei Jingsheng has defected from China
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Image:

AFP via Getty Images)

“They may not believe there is (a) government of a country that would do something like that (cover up a virus).

“So I kept repeating myself in an effort to try to persuade them.”

The WHO first declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30 last year.

It was not until March 11 that the WHO declared Covid as being a pandemic.

The outbreak has killed over 4.5 million people worldwide and affected people and economies in more than 200 countries.

The documentary What Really Happened in Wuhan is set to air on Sky News Australia on Monday and is based on a new book of the same name by journalist Sharri Markson.

The WHO continue to investigate the cause of the outbreak.