Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A2

April 1, 2021

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home 禄 Nation

鈥楥oncerns鈥 by US-led allies over WHO report refuted

Source: Agencies | 00:04 UTC+8 April 1, 2021 | Print Edition

CHINA yesterday refuted a joint statement made by the United States and 13 other countries expressing “concerns” over the World Health Organization report on the origins of COVID-19, and said this was evidence of certain countries’ disrespect for science and political manipulation of the origin-tracing issue, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying said China had repeatedly emphasized that origin-tracing is a matter of science, which should be jointly conducted by scientists and should not be politicized.

The United States on Tuesday released a statement with 13 of its allies , Britain, Japan and Australia among them, saying the inquiry had lacked the data and samples it needed.

Hua said politicizing the origin-tracing issue was immoral and unpopular and will only hinder global cooperation in the study of the origins of COVID-19, jeopardize anti-pandemic cooperation, and cost more lives.

“These countries should engage in some self-reflection and ask themselves, how has their own anti-epidemic work gone? What have they done for international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic?” Hua said.

The WHO said work could also be carried out in laboratories around the world if further evidence was available and needed, Hua noted, adding that China hopes that other relevant countries will cooperate with the WHO in the same open and transparent manner as China has done.

Liang Wannian, the team leader from the Chinese side of the WHO-China joint team, said that the assumption that China did not provide original data for the study of the origins of the novel coronavirus does not hold water.

Chinese and foreign experts have been carrying out continuous research and analysis together in Wuhan, and there is no difference between the information possessed by Chinese experts and foreign experts, said Liang at a press briefing in Beijing.

“According to Chinese law, some data cannot be taken away or photographed, but when we were analyzing it together in Wuhan, everyone could see the database, the materials — it was all done together,” Liang added.

He also rejected complaints that the publication of the report had been repeatedly delayed, noting that “every sentence, every conclusion, every piece of data” needed to be verified by both sides before it could be released. “Throughout we always upheld the principle of ‘quality comes first,’” said Liang.

Nation
锘

 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend


锘