Chinese health officials have defended their search for the source of the COVID-19 virus and criticized the World Health Organization, after its director said Beijing should have shared genetic information earlier.
harsh Chinese criticism
- The director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chen Hongping, said the WHO’s “comments were offensive and disrespectful”.
- Chen accused the World Health Organization of “trying to smear China,” the Associated Press reported.
- He considered that she should “avoid helping others politicize COVID-19”.
- “As a responsible country and as scientists, we always actively share research results with scientists from all over the world,” said the official.
What did the World Health Organization do?
- The reason behind the Chinese criticism of the WHO is due to the statements of the Director-General of the organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
- On March 17, Ghebreyesus said that “the newly disclosed genetic material, which was collected in Wuhan, central China, should have been shared 3 years ago.”
- The first cases of corona were discovered in Wuhan in late 2019.
The origins of Corona.. How and where did it appear?
- The origins of the coronavirus remain a matter of debate and a bitter political dispute.
- Many scientists believe the virus jumped from animals to humans at a market in Wuhan, but the city also has laboratories, including China’s best virus collection facility.
- This raised suggestions that Corona may have leaked from one of these laboratories.
China and its dealings with the virus… conspiracy theories and “delayed disclosure”
- China’s ruling Communist Party has tried to deflect criticism of its handling of the outbreak by spreading doubt about its origins.
- The officials repeated anti-US conspiracy theories, saying the virus was made by Washington and smuggled into China.
- The Chinese government also says the virus “may have entered China by mail or food shipments”, although scientists abroad see no evidence to support this.
- Chinese officials withheld information about an outbreak in Wuhan in 2019, punishing a doctor who warned others about the new disease.
- The ruling party changed its approach in early 2020, blocking access to major cities and halting most international flights to contain the disease.
