Biden’s administration “China should cooperate with WHO”… China rejects corona data

Joe Biden’s US administration urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide initial data on the outbreak of Corona 19 on the 13th (local time).

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that day, “We have deep concerns about how the initial results of the Corona 19 investigation were conveyed (to the WHO investigation team).” “In order to prepare for the next pandemic, China should make data available early on.”

Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor.[AFP=연합뉴스]

Sullivan’s statement came the day after reports that Chinese authorities refused to provide raw data of early outbreaks to the WHO investigation team. A WHO investigation team composed of multinational researchers visited Wuhan, where Corona 19 was first confirmed, to find out the origin of Corona 19 last month and conducted an investigation. However, on the 9th, the investigation team announced the findings of the point that it failed to find the origin of the Corona 19 virus.

On the 12th, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that there was non-cooperation from the Chinese authorities behind the results. According to the WSJ, Chinese authorities declined a request from WHO experts to provide detailed data on 174 cases of infection confirmed in Wuhan in December 2019, at the beginning of the outbreak of Corona 19.

This data is necessary to uncover how and when the corona began to spread in China, WSJ said. However, instead of such data, Chinese authorities and scientists provided only their own analysis and extensive summaries of the cases.

Adviser Sullivan said to the WHO investigation team’s report that it “should be independent” and pressed China by saying “the Chinese government should not intervene or alter it.” “All countries, including China, should participate in transparent and robust procedures to prevent and respond to health emergencies.”

Dr. Peter Ben Embarek, who led the WHO investigation team, is announcing the results of the investigation into the origin of Corona 19 at a press conference on the 9th. [신화통신=연합뉴스]

The WHO had no authority to force member states to provide data, so the investigation was forced to rely on cooperation from the Chinese authorities. “There were no contradictions found in the data available in Wuhan, but in-depth analysis cannot be done without looking at the raw data,” said Dr. Thea Fisher of Infectious Diseases of Denmark, a member of the investigation team. I used to get intensified with my emotions.”

WSJ pointed out that “China’s reluctance to provide such data is raising concerns among governments and scientists about the lack of transparency in China in the process of finding the origin of the corona19 pandemic.”

Former President Donald Trump has declared withdrawal from the WHO on the grounds that the WHO will side with China in the process of responding to Corona 19. However, President Biden signed an executive order to stop the WHO withdrawal process from the first day of his inauguration on the 20th of last month. “We deeply respect experts fighting the corona19 epidemic. This is why President Biden rejected and overturned the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the WHO,” said Sullivan in this statement. “Maintaining the credibility of the WHO is a top priority. “I emphasized.

However, according to the Reuters news agency on the 14th, the Chinese embassy in the United States strongly refuted the statement of Assistant Sullivan. In a statement in the name of a spokesperson released on the website, the Chinese embassy said, “The United States has been damaging multilateral cooperation organizations including the WHO in recent years, and as such has not happened, China and other countries that have supported the WHO during the corona19 pandemic “You shouldn’t point your finger.” “China welcomes the re-joining of the WHO by the United States,” he said, saying, “WHO is an authoritative multilateral international organization in the field of health, and it is not a funfair where you can go in and out at will.”

WHO investigation team visiting Wuhan. [EPA=연합뉴스]

Earlier, Dr. Peter Ben Embarek, who led the WHO investigation team, said at a press conference on the 9th that he had not found evidence that Corona 19 started in Wuhan.

White House spokesman Jen Saki said at a briefing today that “the US government was not involved in the planning and execution of this investigation,” and “we want to independently review the findings and supporting data.” State Department spokesman Ned Price also gave a briefing today. “We cannot definitively say that WHO experts have received full cooperation from China,” he said. “The US will make decisions based on WHO data and its own information.”

A report summarizing the results of the WHO investigation team’s investigation into Wuhan will be released as early as next week.

Reporter Lim Sun-young [email protected]