Highlights
- International overall health specialists had been anticipated to arrive in China this week
- The sensitive mission has been beset by delays and politics
- Beijing hadn’t however finalised permission for team’s arrival, WHO head stated
Beijing, China:
Delays to a lengthy-planned mission by WHO specialists to China to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic are “not just a visa issue”, Beijing stated Wednesday.
A year immediately after the outbreak began, international overall health specialists had been anticipated to arrive in China this week for a very politicised pay a visit to to discover the beginnings of the virus, which initially emerged late final year in the city of Wuhan.
The sensitive mission has been beset by delays and politics, with fears of a whitewash by Beijing.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters Wednesday that talks had been continuing involving the two sides more than “the specific date and specific arrangement of the expert group’s visit”.
“The issue of origin-tracing is incredibly complicated. To ensure the work of the international expert team in China goes smoothly, we have to carry out necessary procedures and make relevant arrangements,” stated Hua.
She stated the nation is “doing its best to create good conditions for the international expert group to come to China”.
On Tuesday the head of the World Health Organization told reporters Beijing had not however finalised permission for the team’s arrival, saying he was “very disappointed with this news” — in a uncommon rebuke of Beijing from the UN body.
Earlier this week Chinese authorities refused to confirm the precise dates and particulars of the pay a visit to, a sign of the enduring sensitivity of the mission.
The WHO had previously stated China has granted permission for a pay a visit to by a 10-particular person group.
Hua stated China was “placing great importance and is actively communicating with the WHO”.
(This story has not been edited by TheSpuzz employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)