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As I see it | Coronavirus inquiry a chance for China and the WHO to polish their reputations
- How much information the Covid-19 investigation can gather depends on what and how much material is provided by China
- Beijing says the visit is an ‘exchange between scientists’
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The timing of a World Health Organization (WHO) probe in Wuhan to trace the origin of Sars-CoV-2 could not be better.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has just come to power and will not be touting the laboratory leak theory put forward by Donald Trump. That theory is shunned by most renowned scientists, and Biden is building an image as a man who respects science. He also has no incentive to endorse his predecessor.
That means it is unlikely there will be mud-slinging between China and the United States over the origin of the virus and the scientists who are in Wuhan now can enjoy a quieter time to do their work.
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Against this backdrop, China and the WHO should seize the opportunity to restore their reputations by showcasing a high-quality investigation.
China is eager to convince the world it is transparent, with state media saying the WHO team had been given access to all the institutes and venues they had asked to visit.
Finding the origin of the virus outbreak is likely to take much more time than allowed by the WHO’s visit – which China insisted was merely “an exchange” between scientists. And whether the trip can repair the damage to the reputation of China and the WHO depends on how much raw data and detailed information the mission report provides.
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