China created the initial version of the virus in their Wuhan lab. It most likely came into contact from a worker in the lab not taking proper precautions in his work environment and exiting the lab with the virus on him/her or in him/her.
Then China did what China does. Far too much to that statement to write about here. Just know China’s numbers then as they are now are propaganda. Then there was massive cover up and numbers published were kept illogically low to play into government narrative. Now numbers will be more accurate or even inflated to play into government narrative that they were taking care of the population through zero Covid and “I told you so mentality” which strengthens their control approach to everything.
Governments of every country try to skew their mistakes into a benefiting themselves out come. It’s how they play the populations and hold onto power. Totalitarian dictatorships are the best at it. Totalitarian theological dictatorships are the absolute best at it.