BEIJING, Feb. 20 (CGTN) - China's Foreign Ministry Thursday slammed a media report that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was lab-created and is a chemical or biological weapon as appalling.

Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang made the remark on Thursday, saying the report is either full of ignorance or bears hostile intentions.

"What we need is science, rationality, cooperation, to defeat ignorance with science and shatter rumors with truth, and to counter prejudice with cooperation," Geng said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Wednesday affirmed that there was no evidence showing that the novel coronavirus pneumonia was made in a laboratory or as a biological weapon.

Medical researchers on February 19 issued a statement on medical journal The Lancet denying the bioweapon theory.