U.S. Leader Claims Concerns Over China's Handling of COVID-19, Foreign Ministry Responds

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At the regular press conference of the Foreign Ministry held on January 5, a foreign media reporter asked a question that U.S. President Joe Biden said he was concerned about the way China is currently handling COVID-19, saying that China is more sensitive to the current situation, what is the comment on this?

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning responded that I have already given a detailed introduction to the situation. Since the outbreak, China has been sharing relevant information and data with the international community, including the United States, in an open, transparent and responsible manner. I have just given a detailed account of the data sharing between the relevant Chinese authorities and the WHO.

Data screen

Mao Ning said that according to the WHO news released on January 4, the genetic data of the virus provided by the Chinese Health Commission shows that the current main prevalent strains in China are consistent with the genetic sequences of Chinese infected travelers’ viruses submitted by other countries, and no new variants or significant mutations have been found, China will continue to closely monitor the situation of virus mutations, release information on the epidemic in a timely manner, and work with the international community to address the challenges of the epidemic. At the same time, we also call on all parties to uphold scientific principles, take scientific and appropriate measures to prevent the epidemic without targeting specific countries, avoid politicizing the epidemic, and work together to protect the normal flow of people and make joint efforts to overcome the epidemic as soon as possible.

WHO says China should disclose more detailed and accurate information about the epidemic, foreign ministry responds

According to the Beijing Daily client, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning hosted a regular press conference on Jan. 5.

A reporter from Japan’s Fuji TV asked a question about the new crown outbreak. The World Health Organization said that the situation released by China does not reflect the state of affairs and that more detailed and accurate information should be made public. What is China’s comment on this?

Mao Ning said that since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, China has been sharing relevant information and data with the international community in an open and transparent manner, sharing the genetic sequence of the new crown virus at the first time, and making important contributions to the development of relevant vaccines and drugs in various countries. China has long maintained close cooperation with WHO and has maintained close and open communication channels with WHO headquarters, the Western Pacific Region and the Representative Office in China. According to incomplete statistics, there have been at least 60 technical exchanges between the two sides on the prevention and control of the new crown epidemic, rescue and treatment, vaccine research and development, and virus traceability since the new crown epidemic was reported.

Mao Ning said that since the optimization and adjustment of China’s epidemic prevention and control measures, China has held many technical exchange meetings with the WHO, and I would like to briefly introduce the situation to you.

On December 9, China’s National Health Commission held a special exchange meeting with the WHO Representative Office in China to inform the WHO about the situation of China’s epidemic prevention, control and treatment.

On December 30, China and WHO held another technical exchange meeting on the prevention and control of the new epidemic, where both sides exchanged views on the epidemic situation, medical treatment, vaccination and other technical topics. Chinese experts explained in depth the background and basis for optimizing prevention and control policies, and gave a comprehensive introduction to the epidemic situation in China.

File photo

On January 3, at the invitation of WHO, China sent experts from the Chinese CDC to attend the WHO Technical Advisory Group Meeting on New Coronavirus Decontamination and gave a comprehensive introduction to the recent epidemic situation and mutant strains in China.

On January 5, WHO will hold a briefing for member countries, and China has organized experts to attend the meeting to further inform the specific situation of the prevention and control of the epidemic in China and focus on responding to the technical issues of concern. In addition, relevant Chinese departments have recently shared the viral gene sequences of new coronavirus infection cases in China through the Global Influenza Shared Database.

Mao Ning noted that WHO has repeatedly expressed to China that the technical exchange meetings conducted by China and WHO have been very well run and have achieved positive results. The relevant information and data provided by the Chinese side helped scientists from various countries understand the evolution of the virus in China and built the confidence of the international scientific community in China’s prevention and control. It has been proven that China has always maintained close communication with WHO and shared relevant information and data in a timely manner in accordance with the principles of law, timeliness, openness and transparency.

“The current epidemic situation in China is manageable, and we will continue to carry out technical exchanges and other activities with WHO as China’s epidemic prevention and control policies are adjusted. We also hope that the WHO secretariat will uphold a scientific, objective and impartial position and strive to play an active role in the global response to the epidemic challenge.” Mao Ning said.