China defends Covid reporting transparency, says case numbers compare favourably with other nations

Beijing’s embassy in Washington touts information-sharing with WHO and recent discussions with global health authority

Pushback comes amid surge in infections across China following government’s reversal of strict protocols

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Patients in a hospital emergency department in Shanghai on Thursday. Case numbers in China have risen sharply in recent weeks. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:30am, 6 Jan 2023Updated: 7:40am, 6 Jan 2023

China pushed back on Thursday against allegations that it has not been adequately transparent about the severity of the Covid-19 surge that has ripped through the country in the past month, and suggested that the country’s incidence of severe illness and death compares favourably with other nations.

“China has always shared his information and data responsibly with international community” Liu Pengyu, spokesman for Beijing’s Washington embassy, said in a news briefing.

“In the last month we have two exchanges with the [World Health Organization],” Liu said.

“The day before yesterday we have another exchange of technical discussions with the WHO”, and Chinese scientists are “now working with WHO to have further discussions about the data”.

The embassy official spoke as Covid-19 infections continued to surge in China after authorities there abandoned almost three years of stringent coronavirus containment measures that had isolated the country and severely limited the movement of its people.