Below is a republication of the remarks issued by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian during a press conference on July 03, when he commented on the World Health Organization (WHO) sending experts to China in order to conduct origin-tracing of the coronavirus.
China has previously been accused of silencing reporting of the outbreak during the initial days of the pandemic. At the same time, the WHO, too, has been accused of underplaying the threat of the virus during the first few months. In fact, it reported that “all patients are isolated and receiving treatment”, didn't recommend “any specific measures for travelers”, advised against the imposition of “travel or trade restrictions on China”, and most importantly, claimed that there was no community transmission of the virus.
The remarks made by Zhao Lijian can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.
Q: WHO announced that experts will be sent to China to work together with Chinese experts on science-based planning to trace the origin of the coronavirus. Does China have a comment?
Zhao Lijian: Origin-tracing is a serious and complex scientific issue that should be studied by scientists and medical experts. As President Xi Jinping said in his statement at the Virtual Event of the Opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly, China continues supporting global research by scientists on the source and transmission routes of the virus. China co-sponsored the WHA resolution on COVID-19 and supports WHO-led cooperation of member states on the zoonotic source of the virus.
Since COVID-19 broke out, WHO and China have all along maintained communication and cooperation. After consultation between the two sides, the Chinese government has agreed to WHO sending experts to Beijing to exchange ideas with Chinese scientists and medical experts on science-based cooperation to trace the origin of the virus. We have a fundamental consensus with WHO, that is, origin-tracing is a scientific issue that should be studied by scientists through international research and cooperation across the globe. It is also the view of WHO that it is an ongoing process probably concerning many countries and localities. WHO will conduct similar trips to other countries and regions in light of the actual need.