Canada Global (Web News) Beijing asserted on Tuesday that it had shared all available information on COVID-19 openly and transparently, following calls from the World Health Organization (WHO) for more data and access to investigate the virus’s origins.
COVID-19, first identified in Wuhan in December 2019, caused widespread devastation globally, resulting in millions of deaths, severe economic disruptions, and overwhelmed healthcare systems.
On Monday, the WHO issued a statement emphasizing the importance of China providing additional information, calling it a “moral and scientific imperative.”
In response, China defended its contributions, claiming to have played a pivotal role in the global effort to trace the virus’s origins.
“China immediately shared epidemic information and the viral genome sequence with the WHO and the international community five years ago,” said Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. She further stated, “We shared our prevention, control, and treatment experience comprehensively and without reservation.”
However, the WHO has previously criticized China for insufficient transparency and cooperation during the pandemic.
In early 2021, a WHO-led team, along with Chinese researchers, conducted an investigation into the origins of the pandemic. Their joint report supported the theory that the virus likely spread from bats to humans via an intermediary species, possibly at a market.
Despite these efforts, WHO experts have not been permitted to return to China since the initial investigation. The organization has repeatedly called for further data.
On Tuesday, Mao suggested that emerging evidence indicates the virus’s origins may have a broader, global context. She also emphasized China’s commitment to collaborating with international partners to advance scientific research into the origins of the virus and to help prevent future infectious diseases.
