China Supports Investigation Into Coronavirus Origin, But Says It 'Acted With Openness, Transparency'

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday he is backing calls for an investigation into the coronavirus origin, but insisted his country "acted with openness, transparency and responsibility," and cooperated with the World Health Organization (WHO).

Xi also said it would be better if the investigation was conducted once the pandemic was controlled, after more than 100 countries signed a resolution asking the World Health Assembly to investigate China, where the coronavirus was first detected.

"We have provided information to the WHO and relevant countries in the most timely fashion, we have released the genome sequence at the earliest possible time," Xi said during the summit video conference. "We have shared control and treatment experiences with the world without reservation, we have done everything in our power to support and assist countries in need."

The European Union led the drafting of the resolution that WHO health ministers are discussing in the virtual assembly held from May 18 to 19. China, however, isn't singled out in the calls for an independent probe, but many countries, such as the United States and Australia, have blamed the country for allegedly not revealing crucial information about the coronavirus, which led to the crisis becoming a pandemic.

Rather, the resolution seeks an evaluation of the world's pandemic preparedness and the lessons learned from global response toward COVID-19. It hopes to address the long-term consequences of this public health crisis to fill the "gaps in pandemic preparedness."

Xi also pledged $2 billion to the WHO, to be distributed in the course of two years, and said China will support vaccine research and developments for treating COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. The Chinese president also committed to keeping the supply lanes across the world open and coordinating with the United Nations.

Zhao Lijian, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said the resolution is "a totally different thing from what's been called an 'independent' international inquiry." He also insisted now was not the time for a probe as the focus must be on the containment of the virus.

China has been critical of world leaders who blame the country for the spread of the virus. In April, Xi was furious at Australia's call for an independent investigation. Zhao, on the other hand, said the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, “has been spreading lies” with his theory the virus was man-made inside a laboratory in Wuhan.