US: China Must Provide All Data on COVID-19 Outbreak

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] On the 13th (local time), the Joe Biden administration in the United States urged China to provide all data related to the outbreak of COVID-19 to the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to major foreign media including AFP, Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor, issued a statement on the day demanding this in relation to recent reports that China refused to provide data to the WHO investigation team trying to trace the origin of COVID-19.

Advisor Sullivan said, "We have deep concerns about how the initial findings of the COVID-19 investigation were communicated," and pointed out that there are also questions about the process by which the Chinese side's investigation results were delivered to the WHO investigation team.

He added that the Chinese government should not intervene in or alter the WHO investigation report, emphasizing, "This report must be independent."

Advisor Sullivan urged China to cooperate with the WHO investigation, saying, "Make data available from the early stages of the (COVID-19) outbreak."

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported the previous day that China refused to provide raw data and customized data on early outbreak cases to the WHO investigation team trying to trace the origin of COVID-19. Instead, Chinese government officials and scientists only provided their own analyses and extensive summaries.

The newspaper stated that the data could help determine when and how COVID-19 first began spreading in China.

In response, on the 14th, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the United States issued a statement saying, "The WHO is an authoritative multilateral international organization in the health sector, not a funfair that can be entered and exited at will."

They continued, "The United States has seriously weakened multilateral organizations such as the WHO in recent years and caused significant harm to international cooperation on COVID-19," and criticized, "However, the United States acts as if nothing happened and blames the WHO and other countries that sincerely support the WHO."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.