The People’s Republic of China denies reports that the government has not cooperated with the World Health Organization study on the origins of COVID-19.
According to a report published in Nature on Tuesday, the WHO has unceremoniously canceled the “second phase” of its investigations into the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report cited key officials within the organization as saying that China has proven too uncooperative to carry out the planned studies.
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A security person leads journalists away from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
“There is no phase two,” WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove told the outlet. “The worldwide politics of this really hampered progress in understanding origins.”
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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin rejected these claims at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
“China’s position on studying the origins of SARS-CoV-2 is consistent,” Wang said, when asked about China’s transparency with the WHO. “We always support and participate in science-based global origin tracing. At the same time, we strongly oppose all forms of political manipulation.”
Members of the World Health Organization team tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus disease (REUTERS/Tomas Pedro)
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The spokesman cited two previous WHO scientific envoys who were allowed into the country, saying this showed China was “open” and “transparent” with the international community.
“China has shared more data and research findings on the study of the origins of SARS-CoV-2 than any other country,” Wang said. “This fully demonstrates China’s open, transparent and responsible attitude and its support for the work of WHO and SAGO. China will continue to support science-based global origin tracing and maintain communication and cooperation with WHO.”
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The first phase of the investigation began in 2020, when a team of WHO scientists spent four weeks in China looking for evidence of the origin of COVID-19. This journey resulted in a report describing four possible origins, with the most likely being a viral jump from bats to humans.
WHO scientists told an exit briefing that it is “highly likely” that the coronavirus was initially transmitted via an animal-to-human jump, perhaps starting with a bat associated with the Wuhan seafood market, which was an initial hypothesis.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin attends a news conference on May 24, 2022 in Beijing. (VCG via Getty Images)
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From the moment of its publication, the WHO report received intense skepticism.
Wang shifted the focus away from China during the press conference, stating that “increasing leads from the international scientific community are pointing the origins of SARS-CoV-2 to sources around the world.”
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At one point, Wang specifically proposed a discredited US origin theory, saying, “Questions and concerns have been raised by many about US biomilitary bases at Fort Detrick and around the world. The WHO and SAGO should closely analyze these leads, cooperate effectively with these relevant countries, and share the investigation results with all parties in a timely manner.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the World Health Organization for comment but did not receive a response.
