US-China Anticipate Further Conflict Over COVID Origin... "Reinvestigation" vs "Already Concluded"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The United States and China revealed differing positions over the investigation into the origin of COVID-19, signaling further conflict.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 25th (local time), the two countries presented completely different opinions regarding the investigation methods and subjects at the World Health Assembly (WHA) held that day.

The United States urged that neutral international health experts should conduct a new investigation into the origin of COVID-19 in China, while China dismissed it as an issue that has already been concluded.

Jeremy Konyndyk, Director of COVID-19 at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), stated, "The purpose of the investigation is not to blame," adding, "It is to scientifically trace the virus and the origin of the outbreak so that we can all prevent future disasters."

Andy Slavitt, Senior Advisor to the White House COVID-19 Response Team, urged cooperation from China and the World Health Organization (WHO) during a briefing the previous day, emphasizing that identifying the pandemic’s origin is a U.S. priority.

In response, China said at the assembly, "The China portion of the origin tracing study organized by WHO has been completed," and added, "China supports the investigation team conducting international cooperation."

The WSJ explained, "The dispute between the U.S. and China expressed in a gathering of 200 governments shows political tensions that make compromise difficult and hinder efforts to find the origin."

The confrontation between the U.S. and China arose due to criticisms that the initial investigation conducted in China, where the first COVID-19 infection cases were reported, was flawed.

The WHO-formed investigation team was dispatched to China earlier this year and investigated the origin of COVID-19 for one month.

However, the team’s activities were criticized for being limited to reviewing research conducted by Chinese national institution scientists.

Chinese scientists had concluded that there was little evidence that COVID-19 existed in China before the first infection was reported in early December 2019.

Some WHO investigation team members expressed disappointment and regret, stating that they did not have full access to data supporting such conclusions.

The previous U.S. administration under Donald Trump declared withdrawal from WHO last year, accusing it of being biased toward China.

The U.S. government, under President Joe Biden who took office this year, is normalizing relations with WHO and pushing for reinvestigation.

However, whether a reinvestigation in China will actually take place remains uncertain.

According to international health regulations, unless China agrees, WHO cannot dispatch scientists to China again for additional research.

Lawrence Gostin, Director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, explained, "If China does not accept it, nothing will happen," adding, "WHO has no international legal authority to force China to comply."

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