China opposes investigation into Covid-19
China's Vice Foreign Minister said the country firmly opposes any "political" international investigation into Covid-19.
"We are frank, open and support professional exchanges between scientists to evaluate and summarize experiences. However, what we oppose are groundless accusations against China," Deputy Foreign Minister Le Ngoc Thanh said in an interview with US television channel NBC on April 28.
Mr. Lac said that we should not accuse China and then conduct investigations to fabricate evidence, asserting that calls for an investigation are based on baseless assumptions.
China's vice minister rejected suggestions that the country initially covered up the Covid-19 outbreak or that Beijing should bear financial responsibility for the pandemic's consequences, calling it a "natural disaster" and calling for greater cooperation and an end to accusations.
Deputy Minister Lac Ngoc Thanh in an interview on April 28. Photo:NBC.
Beijing has repeatedly been suspected of covering up the outbreak by tightly controlling information about Covid-19, reprimanding those who tried to warn about the disease such as Dr. Li Wenliang, as well as downplaying the threat of nCoV by initially announcing that the virus was not transmitted from person to person and not releasing actual infection and death figures.
Mr. Lac's comments came in the context of many countries calling for an independent international investigation into the origin and handling of Covid-19. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that he would pursue this goal despite threats of an economic boycott from China. Swedish Health Minister Lena Hallegren also said that conducting an investigation was "important and reasonable."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on China to be "transparent" in a Twitter post on April 27. "The world is seeking answers about Covid-19 and its origins. China has a responsibility to cooperate," he wrote. Pompeo had also previously said Beijing would "pay a price" for its actions.
Covid-19 originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and has appeared in 210 countries and territories, with the current epicenter of the pandemic being the US and Europe. Globally, nearly 3.2 million cases of nCoV infection have been recorded, nearly 228,000 people have died, and more than 981,000 have recovered.