Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. Photo: VCG

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Wednesday that tracking the origins of the coronavirus is a complicated scientific issue, and asked the US to do the same as China and invite WHO experts to the country to conduct investigation and study the origins of the virus.  

Wang made the remarks during a routine press conference on Wednesday, in response to a question concerning reports that a US State Department official said Tuesday that the US will not accept WHO findings coming out of its coronavirus investigation in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, without independently verifying the findings using its own intelligence and conferring with allies.

The WHO-China joint study group held a press conference in Wuhan on Tuesday and announced their survey results in the city.

"Just as Liang Wannian, the head of Chinese expert group, pointed out during the event, this round of cooperation was China's part in a global viral origins study, and as factual evidence accumulates and scientific hypothesis develops, such studies should be carried out in different locations," Wang said.

"We hope the relevant countries will follow China and uphold a scientific attitude, actively participate in global efforts and investigate the origins of the virus, share and exchange their findings and make contributions to safeguarding the security and wellbeing of people around the world," said Wang. 

The Chinese government has provided significant support and assistance to the WHO expert group in China, which has been acknowledged and appreciated by the WHO, Wang said, while stressing that "China will continue to be open and transparent and work closely with the WHO in the hunt for the global origins of the virus."

There are leads, reports and research findings that indicate the pandemic could have broken out in the second half of 2019, and in multiple locations around the globe, including the possibility that the virus could have emerged in the US before the country reported the first confirmed case, Wang said.

Global Times