The Presidential Office denies a Taiwanese newspaper's claims that the United States is pressuring Taiwan to research and develop biological weapons.
The United Daily News (UDN) report, which cited minutes from a secret meeting provided by an anonymous source, says that the National Defense Ministry completed plans for a new biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory at the request of the U.S. government.
Presidential Office Spokesperson Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said on Wednesday that the Presidential Office, National Defense Ministry, and former Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) have repeatedly said that there will not and there have never been plans to develop biological warfare weapons.
Lin adds that the UDN failed to publish the relevant facts and reported inaccurately based on fabricated documents. She says the documents, which include phrases and words not commonly used in Taiwan, seem in line with Beijing's agenda to accuse other countries of developing biological weapons to manipulate international opinions.
Lin says the UDN has disregarded the country's interests and harmed regional stability. She says the Presidential Office calls on the UDN to set things straight and apologize to the public.