Earlier on Tuesday, the World Health Organization chief told reporters he was “very disappointed with this news” that Beijing had not yet finalised permission for the team’s arrival.
On Wednesday, after being criticised by the WHO chief, Beijing said delays to a long-planned mission by WHO experts to China to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic are “not just a visa issue”.
This week, after a year since the coronavirus outbreak started, international health experts were expected to arrive in China for a highly politicised visit to explore the beginnings of the virus, which first emerged late last year in the city of Wuhan.
With fears of a whitewash by Beijing, the sensitive mission has been beset by delays and politics.
Hua Chunying, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, told reporters Wednesday that talks were continuing between the two sides over “the specific date and specific arrangement of the expert group’s visit”.
“The issue of origin-tracing is incredibly complicated. To ensure the work of the international expert team in China goes smoothly, we have to carry out necessary procedures and make relevant arrangements,” said Hua.
The country is “doing its best to create good conditions for the international expert group to come to China”, she added.
Earlier on Tuesday, the World Health Organization chief told reporters Beijing had not yet finalised permission for the team’s arrival, saying he was “very disappointed with this news”. This came as a surprise for critics of China who’ve maintained that WHO has not been as strict as it should have been in case of China and its handling of the virus.
Earlier this week Chinese authorities refused to confirm the exact dates and details of the visit, a sign of the enduring sensitivity of the mission.
The WHO had previously said China has granted permission for a visit by a 10-person team.
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