Mao Ning

 
On the origins tracing of COVID-19, China has always adhered to the spirit of scientific openness and transparency, and has actively supported and participated in global scientific tracing, while it firmly opposes any form of political manipulation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, in response to media inquiry regarding remarks from World Health Organization (WHO), which has called on China to share data and access so to understand the origins of COVID-19.

In a WHO statement released on Monday, it called on China to share data and access “so we can understand the origins of COVID-19.” The WHO statement also said “this is a moral and scientific imperative.”

Mao Ning said at a Tuesday regular press briefing that after the COVID-19 outbreak, China promptly shared information about the epidemic and the virus’s genetic sequence with the WHO and the international community. It also shared its experience in prevention, control, diagnosis, and treatment without reservation, making a significant contribution to the global fight against the pandemic, Mao said on Tuesday.

Mao said that China is the only country that has so far invited the WHO international expert group to its country multiple times to conduct cooperation on COVID-19 origins tracing, and the only country that has organized experts to share the progress on tracing with WHO multiple times.

Regarding COVID-19 origins tracing, China has shared the most data and research results and made the greatest contribution to the global COVID-19 origins tracing research, Mao added. 

According to the spokesperson, international experts from WHO have stated for many times that during their visits in China, they visited all desired locations, met all intended individuals, and reviewed all relevant materials, and that the openness and transparency of the Chinese side exceeded their expectations.

At present, there are more and more clues in the international scientific community pointing to the origins of COVID-19 on a global scale, and the tracing work should adopt a global approach across multiple countries and regions, Mao stated.  

China is willing to collaborate globally to advance scientific tracing research and contribute actively to preventing future infectious diseases, she noted. 


Global Times