China: "Will Not Follow COVID-19 Level 2 Origin Investigation"

On February 9th, Dr. Peter Ben Embarek, who led the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 origin investigation team, held up a chart showing the transmission routes of the COVID-19 virus at a press conference held in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] China has announced that it will not comply with the World Health Organization (WHO)'s plan for the second phase of the COVID-19 origin investigation.

Zheng Yixin, Deputy Director of the National Health Commission, said at a press conference on the 22nd, "We are very shocked by the WHO's plan."

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on the 16th that China's laboratories should be included in the second phase of the COVID-19 origin investigation.

Deputy Director Zheng raised his voice, saying, "The WHO has made the hypothesis that China violated laboratory regulations one of the main focuses of the study," calling it "arrogance towards science."

The Chinese government emphasized that earlier this year, the WHO expert team concluded in the first phase investigation that "the speculation that the virus leaked from a laboratory is extremely unlikely."

Deputy Director Zheng said, "We oppose the politicization of the COVID-19 origin investigation," adding, "The second phase investigation should continue based on the foundation of the first phase and should not reopen issues that already have clear conclusions."

Yuan Zhiming, Director of the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, claimed at the event, "There has never been any leakage incident at the Biosafety Level 4 (P4) laboratory in Wuhan."