Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador, was summoned by the French foreign minister who registered an official protest over the false claims

The European Union’s diplomatic service removed from a report claims of a coronavirus disinformation campaign by China, including evidence that it was targeting France.

Leaked emails revealed yesterday that senior advisers to Josep Borrell, the EU foreign affairs chief, delayed publication of an assessment into disinformation because of “heavy pushback” from Beijing.

The report was delayed last week and rewritten before publication on Friday by EU officials to remove allegations described as “key findings” and to soften evidence that the Chinese state and officials were involved.

“China has continued to run a global disinformation campaign to deflect blame for the outbreak of the pandemic and improve its international image,” according to one key finding that was removed from the report but seen by The