File Photo: Xinhua

WHO's director general said the organization's advance team sent to China concluded its weeks-long mission which was to lay the groundwork for further joint efforts at identifying the origin of the coronavirus.

"The WHO advance team that travelled to China has now concluded their mission to lay the groundwork for further joint efforts to identify the virus origins," the agency's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference on Monday.

The team has arrived in China in mid-July. Many western media, such as the New York Times, use the news to attack China, saying that the investigation by the WHO is likely to take many months and could face delays.

Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Global Times that tracing the origin of a virus is not an easy job, and a great deal of preparation must be made, such as discussing the technical methods to research and identify the source.

Wang Guangfa, a respiratory expert at Peking University First Hospital said that based on the heavy work, the fact that the WHO's advanced team concluded its mission in under a month, demonstrates China's active cooperation and openness. 

Ghebreyesus said WHO and Chinese experts have drafted the Terms of Reference for the studies and programme of work for an international team, led by WHO.

The international team will include leading scientists and researchers from China and around the world, said the organization's director general, noting that epidemiological studies will begin in Wuhan to identify the potential source of early infections.

"Identifying the source of the coronavirus must be based on negotiations and involve multiple countries," Zeng said, noting that the WHO should collect evidence globally, and teams must be sent to all involved countries for scientific identification and research.

"It does not matter which country the scientific identification work starts, as long as it involves all related countries and is fairly conducted," Zeng said. 

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on July 29 that the WHO experts held several video conferences with Chinese experts and had in-depth exchange in global scientific progress in crowd, environment, molecular and zoonotic tracing of the origin as well as working plans for the next stage, during their quarantine period after they arrived.

Wang said that origin-tracing is a scientific issue that should be studied by scientists through international research and cooperation across the globe. It is an ongoing process probably concerning many countries and localities. WHO will conduct similar trips to other countries and regions in light of the actual need. China hopes all relevant countries will also actively cooperate with WHO.