China asks WHO to expand search for coronavirus origin, points towards US lab leak

In response to the World Health Organization (WHO) report on the origins of the novel coronavirus, China deflected the questions over WHO chief reviving a lab leak theory and called for an investigation into origins outside the country including a lab in the United States. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been long accused by former US President Donald Trump of complacency towards Beijing, but he stiffened his tone on March 30 and called for an enhanced investigation into a theory that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 sprang from a laboratory leak. 

WHO Secretary-General also rebuked China for sitting on essential data to determine the origin of the coronavirus. Tedros had said in Geneva on Tuesday, “Although the team has concluded that a laboratory leak is the least likely hypothesis, this requires further investigation, potentially with additional missions involving specialist experts, which I am ready to deploy.” However, irked by the response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hue Chunying dismissed Tedros’ remarks at the press conference and called it ‘inaccurate’.

“I don’t think the quote is very accurate because what I see is the expert mission said they cannot exclude the possibility of lab leakage but they have found no scientific evidence for that,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson before adding that lab leak theory is “extremely unlikely.” Hue also reiterated China’s often repeated stance that the virus came outside of the country and pointed finger at the US bio lab at Fort Detrick in Maryland which according to her should be the target of the investigation.

She said at a press conference, “As I said yesterday, there is always a question mark over lab leak. The expert team had an in-depth study in Wuhan, and we also know there are many reports of early outbreaks various in many places around the world. In addition to Fort Detrick, certain country has more than 200 biological bases around the world.”

“So I think, if necessary, scientists should be allowed to work in a scientific spirit with relevant laboratories around the world. We hope that other relevant countries will cooperate closely with WHO experts in a scientific, open, transparent and responsible manner, as China has done. We believe this serves the interest of the world. Because everyone wants answers so that we can better respond to similar public health crises in the future,” she added.

US, UK And Other Nations Criticise WHO's Coronavirus Origin Report

The United States, the United Kingdom and at least 12 other countries have condemned the World Health Organization's (WHO) latest report on the novel coronavirus' origin, as well as berated China for failing to disclose the raw data to the WHO’s investigative teams for probing initial cases from the outbreak. 

Image credits: AP