China has always maintained close communication with the World
Health Organization (WHO) and shared information and data on the
epidemic in a timely, open, and transparent manner according to the
law, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, Trend reports citing
Xinhua.
Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a daily news briefing
when answering a relevant question, adding that with China’s COVID
response policy adjustment, the Chinese side will continue to carry
out technical exchanges and other activities with the WHO.
Since COVID began, China has shared information and data with
the international community in an open and transparent manner.
China 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, Mao
said.
Mao said that China has carried out close cooperation with the
WHO over the years, keeping 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, Mao added.
After recently refining its COVID response measures, China has
held several technical meetings with the WHO, she said.
On Dec. 9, 2022, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) held a
special meeting with the WHO Representative Office in China, during
which the NHC informed the WHO of the containment and treatment of
the disease in China.
On Dec. 30, 2022, China and the WHO held another technical
meeting on COVID-19. The two sides exchanged views on the current
COVID situation, clinical care, vaccination and other technical
issues. Chinese experts shared in detail the background and basis
for the policy refinement and provided a comprehensive update on
the current situation in China.
On Jan. 3, 2023, China, at the invitation of the WHO, sent
experts from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to a
meeting of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus
Evolution, where they provided a comprehensive update on the recent
developments and COVID variants in China.
On Jan. 5, 2023, the WHO will hold a briefing with member
states. China has asked relevant experts to attend the meeting,
where they will further inform the WHO of epidemic containment in
China in detail and respond to technical issues that are of concern
to other parties.
Besides all these, 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), Mao
added.
Mao said that 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 and strengthened the global science
community’s confidence in China’s COVID response.
At the moment, China’s COVID situation is under control. As
China adjusts its COVID response policy, it will continue to carry
out activities including technical exchanges with the WHO. It is
hoped that the WHO Secretariat will take a science-based, objective
and just position and play a positive role in addressing the
pandemic globally, Mao added.
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