China opposes investigation into Covid-19.
China's Vice Foreign Minister stated that the country firmly opposes any "politically motivated" international investigation into Covid-19.
"We are frank, open, and supportive of professional exchanges between scientists to assess and summarize experiences. However, what we oppose are baseless accusations against China," Vice Foreign Minister Luo Yucheng said in an interview with NBC on April 28.
Mr. Lac argued that China should not be accused and then investigated to fabricate evidence, asserting that calls for an investigation are based solely on unfounded assumptions.
China's vice minister rejected the notion that the country initially concealed Covid-19 or that Beijing should bear financial responsibility for the pandemic's consequences. He called it a "natural disaster" and called for deeper cooperation and an end to such accusations.
Deputy Minister Lac Ngoc Thanh in an interview on April 28. Photo:NBC.
Beijing has repeatedly been suspected of concealing the epidemic by tightly controlling information about Covid-19, reprimanding those who tried to warn about the disease, such as Dr. Li Wenliang, and downplaying the threat of the novel coronavirus by initially announcing that the virus was not transmissible from person to person and not releasing the actual number of infections and deaths.
Mr. Luo's comments come amid calls from many countries for independent international investigations into the origins and handling of Covid-19. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared his commitment to pursuing this goal despite threats of economic boycotts from China. Swedish Health Minister Lena Hallegren also stated that conducting an investigation is "important and reasonable."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on China to be "transparent" in a tweet on April 27. "The world is looking for answers about Covid-19 and its origins. China has a responsibility to cooperate," he wrote. Pompeo had previously stated that Beijing would have to "pay a price" for its actions.
Covid-19, which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has spread to 210 countries and territories, with the current epicenter of the pandemic being the United States and Europe. Globally, nearly 3.2 million cases of nCoV infection have been recorded, almost 228,000 deaths, and more than 981,000 people have recovered.
