China claimed on December 31, 2024 that it had shared information on Covid-19 " without any restrictions", after the World Health Organization (WHO) called on it to provide more data and access to understand the origins of the pandemic.
COVID-19, which emerged five years ago in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has killed millions, devastated the economies of many countries and crippled entire health systems. The WHO issued a statement Monday again calling on China to share more information about the pandemic to better prepare for future health crises. The UN health agency recalled how on December 31, 2019, its office in China received a statement from Wuhan health authorities about cases of “viral pneumonia” in the city.
“ Five years ago (…) China immediately shared with the WHO and the international community information on the epidemic and the gene sequence of the virus", assured Mao Ning, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday. Without any restrictions, we have shared our experience in prevention, control and treatment, thus making an enormous contribution to the international community's anti-pandemic work." she continued, during a press briefing.
But during the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO has repeatedly criticized Chinese authorities for their lack of transparency and cooperation. A WHO-led team of experts, accompanied by Chinese colleagues, conducted an investigation into the origins of the pandemic in early 2021.
In a joint report, they favored the hypothesis of transmission of the virus by an intermediary animal, from a bat to a human, perhaps at a market. Since then, the investigators have not been able to return to China and WHO officials have repeatedly requested additional data.
“Moral and scientific imperative”
“ We continue to call on China to share data and access so that we can understand the origins of COVID-19. This is a moral and scientific imperative. Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prepare for or prevent future epidemics and pandemics.", the WHO said in a statement Monday.
Ms. Mao said on Tuesday that " more and more clues » indicated « that the origins of Covid-19 had a global reach". China is " willing to continue working with various parties to promote scientific research on origins globally and make efforts to prevent potential infectious diseases in the future" she said.
Earlier this month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus questioned whether the world was better prepared for a possible future pandemic. The answer is yes and no." he said during a press conference. If the next pandemic were to occur today, the world would still face the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities that allowed Covid-19 to take hold and spread five years ago." he added. " But the world has also learned many painful lessons from the pandemic and taken important steps to strengthen its defenses against future epidemics and pandemics.“.
In December 2021, International Transcriptions have begun to reach agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. The 194 WHO member states negotiating the treaty have agreed on much of what it should contain, but there are still significant practical issues.
A major fault line separates Western countries, with their large pharmaceutical industries, and poorer countries, which fear being sidelined in the next pandemic. The obligation to share information quickly on emerging pathogens, crucial for developing vaccines and other pandemic-fighting measures, is a key point of contention. The deadline for the end of negotiations is currently set for May 2025.