It is either with bad intentions or absurd ignorance that certain individuals and media outlets published sensational statements that suggest the novel coronavirus is a bioweapon leaked from a lab, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Thursday.

Geng mentioned the joint statement signed by 27 of the world's leading scientists in the field of public health and published by the Lancet, in support of the Chinese research, health and medical workers fighting the outbreak, which strongly condemns the conspiracy theories about the outbreak circulating on the Internet.

"We're not just battling the virus, but also conspiracy theories," he said, noting that in the face of an epidemic, science, reason and cooperation is what is needed.

"We must seek the triumph of science over ignorance, dispel rumors with truth, and replace prejudice with cooperation," he said at the ministry's online news conference.

China hopes that the international community, while working together to combat the novel coronavirus, will continue to work together against conspiracy theories and other "political viruses", Geng added.