China refused to collaborate with WHO to conduct new investigation into the origin of the coronavirus

Taking into account the proposal made by the World Health Organization (WHO) to reopen the investigation into the origin of the coronavirus, the Chinese regime refused to cooperate and qualified as “lack of respect” and “arrogance towards science” the plan presented by the international organization, according to the vice minister of the National Health Commission of China, Zeng Yixin.

The Chinese official denied the theory that the coronavirus came out of a laboratory, arguing that it is a rumor contrary to common sense, despite the multiple complaints made by various countries and institutions which point to China as responsible for the spread of the pandemic.

The deputy minister told a press conference that he was “Extremely surprised” on the proposal put forward on Friday by the head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who includes investigations of virus labs in Wuhan, China, where the first cases of COVID-19 were detected in 2019.

Zeng, said the laboratory of Wuhan City does not have viruses that can directly infect humans. He said China has made clarifications on several occasions and will not accept the WHO plan.

PROPOSAL

World Health Organization proposed last Friday a second phase of studies in China on the origins of the coronavirus, including laboratory audits in Wuhan.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus presented the plan to member states in a closed-door meeting on Friday, a day after saying that Investigations have been hampered by a lack of raw data on the early days of the spread of COVID-19 in China.

A team led by WHO spent four weeks in and around the city of Wuhan with Chinese researchers and said in a joint report in March that the virus was likely transmitted from bats to humans by another animal.

But countries like the United States and some scientists requested more research, especially on the Wuhan Institute of Virology, who conducted research on bats. The WHO plan ecalls for more studies in China, but not in other countries, and in particular laboratory audits in Wuhan, Chinese diplomats said in an initial response to Ghebreyesus’ proposal.

China called theory that virus could have escaped from Wuhan lab “absurd” and has said over and over again that “Politicizing” the issue would hamper investigations.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a press conference on Friday that some data could not be copied or left China because it involved personal information.

Before the announcement of the new plan the director of the World Health Organization said that China must cooperate more in research on origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We hope there will be better cooperation so that we know what really happened”, Declared Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during a press conference.

Tedros assured that after the first phase of the investigations, which resulted in a visit of international experts to Wuhan (the city in central China where the first cases were diagnosed), a second is being designed. “We need to continue the investigation to find out what really happened, because if we do find out it can help us avoid future similar crises.”said the Ethiopian expert.

Tedros’ statements represent a stark change in tone after months in which he refused to comment publicly on the lab’s theory or the attitude of Chinese authorities in the investigations, which began months late and with enough obstacles for WHO experts and other agencies.

(With information from AP and Reuters)

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