Speakers:
Mr. Shen Hongbing, deputy director of the National Disease Prevention and Control Administration and director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC)
Mr. Tong Yigang, professor and dean of the College of Life Science and Technology at Beijing University of Chemical Technology
Ms. Zhou Lei, researcher at the China CDC
Chairperson:
Ms. Shou Xiaoli, deputy director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO
Date:
April 8, 2023
Shou Xiaoli:
Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). Today, we have invited Mr. Shen Hongbing, deputy director of the National Disease Prevention and Control Administration and director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), to brief you on China's study of the origins of SARS-CoV-2, and to take your questions. Also joining us today are Mr. Tong Yigang, a professor and dean of the College of Life Science and Technology at Beijing University of Chemical Technology; and Ms. Zhou Lei, a researcher at the China CDC.
Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Shen for a brief introduction.
Shen Hongbing:
Friends from the media, good afternoon. It has been over three years since the outbreak of COVID-19 at the end of 2019. During this period, we have continually made efforts on related origin tracing. The study of the origins of SARS-CoV-2 is a highly specialized issue. The Chinese government and scientists have always upheld a science-based approach and hoped to clarify the origins of the virus. The matter is of crucial significance to preventing similar pandemics from happening again.
Now, I'll brief you on our origin tracing during the past three years from two aspects.
First, since the outbreak of COVID-19, China, as a major country committed to being open, has always upheld a science-based approach on the scientific issue of tracing virus origins. We have been actively communicating and cooperating with the World Health Organization (WHO). In response to the resolution adopted by the 73rd World Health Assembly, we took the lead in inviting the WHO to send international experts twice to conduct joint studies on the origins of SARS-CoV-2 in China. Under the principle of jointly formulating work plans, carrying out analysis and research, writing reports and publishing study results, the first phase of the joint origin tracing studies was accomplished in Wuhan. The report, titled "WHO -convened Global Study of Origins of SARS-CoV-2: China Part," or the "Joint WHO-China Study, " has been fully recognized by participating experts both at home and abroad as well as the WHO.
Throughout the first phase of the joint studies, China provided all the origin-tracing-related information that it had at the time to the joint team of experts and concealed no cases, samples, or test and analysis results. Recently, some officials and experts from the WHO willfully made comments and recklessly rejected the previous results. This totally violates scientific principles, rudely offends and disrespects the scientists around the world that participated in the previous origin tracing, and politicizes the origin tracing efforts. This cannot be tolerated by China's scientific community, nor can this be accepted by its global counterparts.
Second, based on the huge amount of human, material and financial resources invested in the first phase of the joint studies, we did not suspend our origin tracing. We continue to coordinate the resources and to carry out comprehensive scientific investigations in the fields of epidemiology, molecular epidemiology, animal and environment and even laboratory inspections. Chinese scientists have shared related progress and results with the global scientific community by reporting to and communicating with the WHO and its Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO ) and publishing papers. Many findings in the research have also further proved the results from the first phase of the joint studies.
These research findings and related data have been published in international and domestic academic journals. As a responsible country and with scientists who have a sense of responsibility, we have always proactively shared these results with scientists around the world. We hope to uphold a science-based and scientist-centered approach, strengthen communication, cooperation and information sharing, and stick to a scientific path when carrying out SARS-CoV-2 origin tracing. Those who instigate and participate in politicizing the origin tracing and use the issue to smear China should not assume that the global scientific community will be deceived by such stunts. We urge those WHO officials and experts to return to a scientific and impartial stance, and not to take the initiative or be forced to become tools for certain countries to politicize the origin tracing efforts.
Joining me today are professor Tong Yigtang and researcher Zhou Lei. They are both experts who participated in the WHO-China joint origin tracing research. They will also brief you on relevant information, and we will take your questions together. Thank you.
