China publishes white book on actions and position in the fight against Covid-19

The Chinese government published on Wednesday a white book titled “Prevention, control and tracking of origins of COVID-19: actions and position of China”in which it reaffirms its commitment to transparency and scientific cooperation since the beginning of the pandemic. The document was released by the Communication Department of the China State Council.

Divided into three chapters, the book addresses China’s contribution to studies on the origins of SARS-Cov-2, its role in the global fight against pandemic and a critique of the United States response to the sanitary crisis. According to the text, China conducted research together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and international scientists, discarding, for example, the hypothesis that Wuhan was the place of natural origin of the virus.

The white book also states that the country promptly shared information and the genetic sequence of the virus with the international community, as well as sending medical help to several countries. The Chinese government criticizes, on the other hand, what it calls the US attempt to politicize tracking the origin of the virus and divert the attention of failures in its own pandemic response.

According to the document, there is evidence that coronavirus may have circulated in the United States before the first officially reported cases. China argues that new investigations are also conducted on American soil.

The text concludes that the politicization of scientific issues weakens international cooperation efforts and threatens global public health. China reinforces its commitment to collaborate with other countries to avoid future pandemics.