By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The Chinese government has kicked against the move by U.S. President, Joe Biden to carry out second phase of investigation of COVID-19 origin.
The US on Thursday had called on the WHO to carry out a second phase of its investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, with independent experts given full access to original data and samples in China.
“It is critical that China provides independent experts full access to complete, original data and samples relevant to understanding the source of the virus and the early stages of the pandemic,” said the US mission to the UN in Geneva.
However, the Chinese government has reacted angrily, portraying Biden’s announcement as part of a broader geopolitical struggle.
The Chinese government questioned Washington’s motives and railed against the “notorious track record” of US intelligence in the lead-up to the 2003 war in Iraq.
However, as Biden acknowledged, the US intelligence community is split over the likely origins of the pandemic.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) issued a statement on Thursday, saying, “The US intelligence community does not know exactly where, when, or how the Covid-19 virus was transmitted initially but has coalesced around two likely scenarios: either it emerged naturally from human contact with infected animals or it was a laboratory accident.”
