White House Criticizes China for Noncooperation in COVID Origin Investigation (Update)

US NSC Advisor: "Insufficient Raw Data Provided to WHO"
Negotiations Begin Over Detained Americans with Iran

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The Joe Biden administration in the United States strongly criticized China for not cooperating with the World Health Organization (WHO) investigation into the origin of COVID-19.

The WHO investigation team researching the origin of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, is holding a press conference.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor at the White House, expressed concern in an interview with CBS on the 21st (local time), saying, "We do not believe China has provided sufficient raw data on how this pandemic began to spread." He added, "We believe WHO and China need to address this issue."

The WHO investigation team recently dispatched to China announced that they found important clues about the origin of COVID-19 at the seafood market in Wuhan but stated at a press conference that they did not find evidence that Wuhan was the origin, sparking controversy. Some suspected that there might have been Chinese influence exerted.

Advisor Sullivan had previously warned that China must provide all data related to the outbreak and spread of COVID-19 to the WHO and must not interfere with the report.

Sullivan's remarks are particularly notable as the Biden administration has declared its return to the WHO, from which the Donald Trump administration had withdrawn, and announced it would pay $200 million, thereby expanding its influence over the WHO again.

Sullivan also stated that negotiations have begun with Iran regarding the release of five Americans detained there, and regarding the return to the Iran nuclear deal, he said, "All progress depends on Iran's decision."

On the other hand, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, drew a line in an interview with Iran's Press TV on the same day, saying, "The U.S. cannot return to the nuclear agreement until all sanctions are lifted."

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