The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) strongly backed a controversial research project with China into novel viruses in 2019 even though it created new biosecurity risks, documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show.

Hundreds of records obtained by U.S. Right to Know from Freedom of Information Act lawsuits show how the GVP was boosted by the State Department and underwritten by USAID as it got off the ground from 2016 to 2019.

They also show that the U.S. forged ahead despite unanswered questions about who would own the data and whether Chinese partners would be transparent with the research.