Scientific approaches called for in virus tracing

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin (Photo/fmprc.gov.cn)

Tracing the origin of the novel coronavirus should be a joint scientific research effort rather than a unilateral investigation of China, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday after a group of "international scientists" released an open letter demanding the issue be looked at again.

The letter, published in the French newspaper Le Figaro and signed by more than 30 Western scientists, calls for a new scientific inquiry into "all the plausible origin hypothesis" and asks for "unlimited access to all the pertinent files, samples and staff in China, and elsewhere".

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a news conference that the calls for an alternative investigation exposed the true thinking of certain countries on presumption of guilt and political manipulation.

It is not the first time that so-called international scientists have been "sensationalist", and it is ignorant of them to publish unverified information and make irresponsible remarks, Wang said. Some have a political background or are posing as scientists, he added.

Wang said he hoped the letter's signatories, who have been manipulated and are not aware of the truth, can return to the path of scientific rationality, adding that the right way of origin tracing is to rely on scientists, uphold scientific attitudes and follow scientific methods.

The right direction is to comply with the requirements of the World Health Organization resolution and conclusions of the joint mission reports into the COVID-19 outbreak, and conduct more in-depth, scientific research and cooperate on a wider scale, he said.

"Any politicization of the issue is poisoning the scientific research atmosphere, hindering global cooperation and undermining global anti-pandemic efforts," he said, urging certain countries to stop their "clumsy performances "and make positive contributions to saving lives and promoting health.

Meanwhile, Wang said new revelations show the United States has been forcing enterprises to install "backdoor" programs in digital devices to obtain user data in violation of rules.

The US is the top threat to global cybersecurity, he said, adding it has been suppressing companies from other countries under the guise of safeguarding cybersecurity and touting a so-called "clean network", which is typical double standards.

The US is not truly seeking to safeguard cybersecurity but to oppress competitors and maintain its hegemony in cyberspace, he said. "We call on the international community to jointly expose and reject US practices of endangering global cybersecurity and sabotaging international rules," he added.