United States officials are investigating whether the coronavirus came from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Photo / AP
A senior Australian minister has rejected Chinese criticisms that Australia is parroting the United States in calls for transparency on the origins of the coronavirus.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg described Chinese Foreign Ministry criticisms as "unwarranted and unjustified."
The Chinese ministry has criticised Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton's call last week
for China to be transparent about the origins of the virus.
Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, "Dutton's role, the prime minister's role, my role, and all our colleagues' roles, is to defend the Australian national interest, and that's what we'll continue to do, and we'll speak up about it as required."
Dutton's call for Chinese transparency came after US officials revealed intelligence agencies were assessing whether the respiratory virus escaped from a biological laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic began.
