(NewsNation) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting China at a time when relations between the two countries have soured. And his trip comes as the U.S. approaches the deadline for the administration to declassify its intelligence related to the origins of the COVID-19 virus.
That June 18 deadline was imposed following the unanimous passage of the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 in Congress earlier this year. Senators Josh Hawley and Mike Braun recently wrote to the White House asking that they comply with the law and “provide as much transparency to the American people as possible.”
The law does not impose any sanctions for not meeting the deadline, but if the White House does not release a report producing the information requested from Congress, there will likely be political consequences in the form of increased pressure from Republican lawmakers.
Former Trump administration official John Bolton suggested to NewsNation earlier this week that the report may complicate relations with China amidst Blinken’s visit.
“I think their real concern is that this report may well add to the growing body of evidence that this was a leak from the famous lab at Wuhan,” he said.
