Australia pushes for WHO review

SYDNEY: All member nations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) should support a proposed independent review into the coronavirus pandemic, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said yesterday, further threatening strained ties with China.

Australia has become as one of Beijing’s most forceful critics over the handling of the spread of the coronavirus, with Morrison urging several world leaders to support an international inquiry into its origins and spread.

Beijing has fiercely rejected calls for an inquiry, describing the efforts as United Statesled propaganda against China.

But Morrison said all members of the WHO should be obliged to participate in a review.

‘‘If you’re going to be a member of a club like the World Health

Organisation, there should be responsibilities and obligations attached to that,’’ he told reporters in Canberra yesterday.

‘‘We’d like the world to be safer when it comes to viruses... I would hope that any other nation, be it China or anyone else, would share that objective.’’

The Covid19 outbreak originated in China and has since spread to infect some 2.6 million people globally and killed more than 184,000.

China is Australia’s largest trading partner, but diplomatic ties have frayed amid allegations Beijing has committed cyberattacks and has attempted to interfere in Canberra’s domestic affairs.

Australia’s calls for an inquiry will win favour with the White House which has been critical of China and the WHO’s handling of the pandemic. President Donald Trump has withdrawn US funding from the United Nations agency.

Both France and Britain have said now was the time to fight the virus, not to apportion blame.

Morrison’s comments came hours after a senior Australian Government official called on G20 nations to end wildlife wet markets over concerns they pose a threat to human health and agricultural markets.

The outbreak in China was thought to have started in a wet market in the city of Wuhan.

China imposed a temporary ban on selling wildlife on January 23 and is now reviewing its legislation to restrict commercial wild animal trading on a permanent basis.

Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud said yesterday he had asked government officials from the Group of 20 major economies to back a plan to end wildlife wet markets.

US officials have also called for wildlife wet markets across Asia to be closed. Wet markets exist throughout Asia selling fresh vegetables, seafood and meat. Some also sell exotic animals.

Australia has successfully slowed the spread of coronavirus, with new infections well below 1% a day. It has 6660 cases and recorded 76 deaths from Covid19.

About a third of its cases can be traced to cruise ships.

Ruby Princess, owned by Carnival Corp, is Australia’s largest source of coronavirus infections. Authorities granted the ship permission to disembark its 2700 passengers last month without health checks.

Since then more than 600 people have contracted Covid19 after being in contact with passengers and 21 people have died after travelling on the ship.

Australian police are investigating whether the company knowingly let coronavirus patients off the ship.

Yesterday it was on its way out of Australia after leaving Port Kembla in New South Wales where it had been moored for more than a fortnight.

It was bound for Manila in the Philippines. — Reuters/AAP