Scholar says COVID-19 origin tracing should extend to multiple countries

Phea said through painstaking efforts, China has brought the epidemic under control. Furthermore, China has actively cooperated with countries around the world to fight the virus.

"It's reasonable for all parties to respect facts and science, and jointly reject political manipulation of vilification under the pretext of origin-tracing, so as to create a favorable environment for global cooperation in origin-tracing and solidarity in fighting the epidemic," he said.

The WHO's plan for a second phase study into the origins of COVID-19 was put forward unilaterally by the WHO Secretariat without the approval of all member states, the scholar said.