FM, expert push back against Tedros’ pursuit of ‘ lab leak’ theory

China’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday urged the WHO to play a leading role in respecting science after WHO Director- General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus earlier commented that further investigation is needed on the hypothesis of a “lab leak” being the origin of the COVID- 19. The theory has already been determined by the WHO- China joint expert team as being extremely unlikely.

A separate report published on Tuesday in a newspaper in Central China’s Hubei Province, the Hubei Daily, wrote that an anonymous Chinese expert on the WHO- China joint team on the virus origins tracing was “surprised and unsatisfied” by Tedros’ comment. The expert called Tedros’ comment “irresponsible.”

The expert told the Hubei Daily that he was unclear how the head of the WHO read and interpreted the report, which was done on the basis of a large number of scientific facts and of the consensus reached by Chinese and foreign scientists.

“Some forces with ulterior motives are challenging the authority of and science behind the joint report, based on Tedros’ comment. Experts on the joint team are worried and unsatisfied. If the global virus origins tracing work is in stalemate, the WHO should bear the responsibility,” the expert told the Hubei Daily.

Another expert from the team, who preferred not to be identified, told the Global Times in a previous exclusive interview that the Chinese experts had noticed palpable “political pressure” on the international experts of the team.

Wang Wenbin, a spokersperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, emphasized during a press conference on Wednesday that the report was co- authored by more than 30 top- notch scientists worldwide, so it is widely representative and enjoys a high degree of professionalism.

The joint experts team did its research and filed the report independently, and it followed WHO procedures. The team adopted scientific methodology, and it filed an authoritative and scientific report, he said.