Spokesperson of the Chinese Mission Liu Yuyin Speaks on the COVID Situation in China
2023-01-05 19:02

QRecently, some countries said that they were worried about how China is handling the COVID outbreak, and China did not provide more detailed and accurate data. Some countries imposed new COVID measures targeting travelers from China. What is your comment on that?

A:Since COVID began, China has shared information and data with the international community in an open and transparent manner. We shared the genome sequence of the virus at the earliest opportunity, making important contribution to the drug and vaccine research and development in countries around the world. China has carried out close cooperation with the WHO over the years. We have kept channels open for close communication at three levels with WHO’s headquarters, Western Pacific Regional Office and Representative Office in China. Preliminary figures show that since COVID was first reported, the two sides have had over 60 technical exchanges on COVID containment, treatment, vaccine research and development and origins-tracing.

After recently refining its COVID response measures, China has also held several technical meetings with the WHO, and Chinese experts have briefed other Member States the COVID-19 situation in China during the WHO information session. Besides, recently China’s relevant departments have shared the genome data of the virus from COVID cases in China via the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID). The WHO Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) released a statement which noted that the main variants circulating in China, according to information submitted by China, was in line with genomes from travelers from China submitted to GISAID by other countries, and no new variant or mutation was noted.

The WHO has noted on many occasions that the technical meetings between China and the WHO have gone smoothly and produced positive results. The information and data that China shared helped scientists from all countries to learn about the evolution of the virus in China and strengthened the global science community’s confidence in China’s COVID response.Facts have proven that China has always maintained close communication with the WHO and shared information and data on the epidemic in a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with law.

The COVID situation in China is under control. China will continue to closely monitor possible mutations of the virus, release relevant information in a timely manner, and work with the international community to tackle the COVID challenge. We also call on all parties to take science-based and proportionate response measures not targeting any specific country, avoid remarks and actions that politicize the epidemic, jointly safeguard normal people-to-people exchange and work together for an early victory over the pandemic.