China briefs European envoys on WHO coronavirus origin quest

Liang Wannian says bats and pangolins may not be to blame for the virus emerging in humans

The briefing was an attempt by Beijing to address ‘misunderstandings’ and ‘discriminatory remarks’ about China by the West, say commentators

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Bats such as the Chinese horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus sinicus) and pangolins may not be the natural host of the novel coronavirus causing the pandemic, Dr Liang Wannian told European diplomats. Photo: Dr Libiao Zhang

Published: 7:00pm, 15 Mar 2021Updated: 7:16pm, 15 Mar 2021

There is no evidence suggesting either bats or pangolins were the origin host of the novel coronavirus, one of China’s top health experts told European diplomats in Beijing last week.

Briefing envoys on a China-WHO investigation into the source of the pathogen, Liang Wannian, one of the Chinese members of the joint team, said on Friday that other animals could be the natural host of the virus that causes Covid-19.

The meeting comes amid growing scepticism in Europe about China’s “values” and response to the pandemic.

Liang was part of the investigation with World Health Organization (WHO) experts who visited Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the disease was first detected, for 28 days in January and February.

At the Beijing briefing hosted by the Chinese foreign ministry, Liang also said the WHO experts agreed it was highly unlikely the coronavirus was transmitted to humans from a lab.

China has been criticised for the lack of transparency in the early stage of the pandemic outbreak, especially for the three-week delay between when the virus was first announced and when Chinese authorities acknowledged the disease was spreading through human-to-human contact.

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