China calls for complete trust in, support for WHO experts on virus origin-tracing

BEIJING - A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Friday called for complete trust in and support for the international expert team of the World Health Organization (WHO), and urged reducing unnecessary disturbance to give them sufficient time and necessary space to conduct the origin-tracing of the novel coronavirus.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily news briefing when answering a question about the schedule for the expert team in the country, and said that China and the WHO will make scientific and professional arrangements based on the consensus they reached in the early stage.

He expressed the belief that experts from both sides will release research progress and results at an appropriate time.

Zhao stressed that this is an exchange and cooperation between experts from the WHO and China on the origin-tracing of the virus, which is part of global research, not an investigation.

During the quarantine of the WHO experts, the two sides had conducted multiple exchanges through video and shared their research results, which laid a solid foundation for deepening bilateral cooperation and promoting global research, said Zhao.

"We should leave this very professional job of origin-tracing to experts and provide sufficient time and necessary space for them to promote relevant cooperation," Zhao said, calling for complete trust in and support for the expert team and urging reducing unnecessary attention and disturbance.

He said China will, as always, continue to cooperate with the WHO in an open, transparent, and responsible manner, and contribute to the better prevention of future risks and protection of the lives and health of the people of all countries.