The Chinese government has been fervently denying accusations that the COVID-19 virus originated in Wuhan China. If one were to believe what the Chinese media has been publishing, it would be likely that they would assume that the World Health Organization (WHO) agrees with the Chinese government on how the virus developed and spread. This is not the case. A four-week investigation was launched by The WHO: they studied the length of time that infections began to spread in Wuhan, how the city had handled sanitary measures, and how they were able to return to a normal life after a long lockdown process. It was reported that when the WHO sent their team in, the Chinese government provided them access to everything that they requested. This came as a surprise, it was expected that China would have wanted to be more secretive about how they mishandled COVID in the beginning.
The Chinese media have used statements from The WHO in order to spin the narrative in their favor. They have taken an innocent until proven guilty approach and because the investigation did not bring about any significant findings, the Chinese are holding onto their innocence. The mishandling of the virus has caused a rift in relations between nations. China feels like they are being blamed for the entire spread of the virus: they do not think that they deserve all of the blame as they are holding onto the claim that it did not originate in Wuhan. This criticism has been around since the beginning when China neglected to inform the WHO about a pneumonia-like illness that began to circulate in late 2019. The Chinese National Health Commission (CNHC) told reporters that they do not know how the virus traveled to the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan. Contaminated products frozen foods, animals, and infected humans have been cited as possible sources of the outbreak.
The WHO also addressed two other origin stories for COVID-19. They did not rule out the possibility that the virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan. China has been pushing the frozen food theory. They believed that the grocery supply chain brought the virus into Wuhan from another country. Scientists from across the world have ruled this out as a possibility. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is firm in its belief that there is no way that it would be possible for the virus to transfer in the way that the Chinese government is claiming. For months, China’s propaganda has been attempting to reverse its image as the origin point of the global pandemic. Along with Chinese politicians, the Chinese Centers for Disease Control have also tried to push a baseless theory that the virus was created in a US lab; but, like many other theories, it has been shut down swiftly.
Sources:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/us-army-brought-coronavirus-epidemic-to-wuhan-chinese-diplomat/articleshow/74607344.cms?from=mdr
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/who-s-covid-mission-china-give-first-report-n1257105
https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/10/asia/who-china-coronavirus-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/4/8/chinas-wuhan-ends-coronavirus-lockdown-but-concerns-remain
https://www.voanews.com/science-health/coronavirus-outbreak/china-didnt-warn-public-likely-pandemic-6-key-days
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