China deflects direct question on fair probe into whether COVID-19 leaked from Wuhan lab

As questions continue to be raised over origins of COVID-19 pandemic, China on Wednesday parried a question on wher it would allow an independent probe into allegations that COVID-19 virus may have been leaked from Wuhan Institute of Virology, even as Chinese researchers claimed that Coronavirus may have been transmitted to humans from pangolins via bats.

China stays silent on COVID origin probe

While answering questions on calls for investigations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian referred to study of origin of  Coronavirus led by WHO (World Health Organisation) experts group which visited Wuhan and Wuhan Institute of Virology from January 14 to February 10. However, spokesperson parried a question wher Beijing would agree to an independent probe to investigate allegations that COVID-19 may have been leaked from WIV.

Amid COVID origin probe row, Chinese state media Global Times has published an article to defend China's claims that virus was a naturally occurring phenomenon. This comes even as  global community cornered China for not allowing an unrestricted probe by World Health Organisation (WHO) team into origins of Coronavirus, maintaining that virus may have been man-me and its spre could have been due to a lab leak in China's Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

Pressure mounts on China over COVID origins

However, it is pertinent to note that scientists from WHO team that probed origins of virus in Wuhan Institute of Virology have called for a follow-up probe. Wuhan in China was place where virus was first detected/originated in late 2019. However, due to China's hesitancy and delay in granting permission to probe even after immense international pressure, team of WHO experts visited China in mid-January this year, even as virus began wreaking havoc in late 2019. 

Moreover, WHO team that probed COVID's origins has indicated that Chinese authorities withheld crucial data that could have shed light on COVID origins, potentially complicating efforts to understand how global pandemic began. WHO Director-General Tedros hanom Ghebreyesus said in March that his team suffered rejections from China in accessing "raw data on early COVID-19 cases", while ding that more "collaborative studies" are required with "more timely and comprehensive data sharing". As dely pandemic has wrecked economies and strained health care systems across world, global pressure continues to mount on China over investigation on COVID origins.

US renews call for China to allow COVID origin probe

On May 25, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki h said, "An international investigation led by World Health Organization is something that we've actually been pressing for several months in coordination with a range of partners around world."

White House Press Secretary h said, "I have to say, I think family members of loved ones whose lives have been lost and deserve accurate information data, not jumping to a conclusion without having information necessary to conclude where origins are. What we do share, everyone in this country is a desire to know how this started, where it started, and prevent it from ever happening again. That's something we all share."

Evidence mounts that China h studied weaponisation of Coronavirus

Also, explosive documents have revealed that China discussed weaponization of Coronavirus as far back as 2015. As per document, People's Liberation Army (PLA) commanders h predicted that World War 3 would be fought with biological weapons, and on similar lines, Chinese military scientists h discussed weaponization of SARS coronaviruses five years before COVID-19 pandemic originated and spre to various parts of world. Outlining ir ideas, top scientists predicted that se coronaviruses could be used to fight third world war. paper obtained by US officials was reportedly written by military scientists and senior Chinese public health officials in 2015,  Australian reported, ding that it was a part of ir own investigation into origins of COVID-19. new details once again raise questions over China's role in spre of coronavirus with major concerns about China's transparency on origins of COVID-19.

(Image: AP, Pixabay)