New York Times: China Uses WHO Inquiry to Tout Coronavirus Response
“Chinese officials are hailing a visit by a team of experts sent to Beijing by the World Health Organization to investigate the source of the coronavirus as evidence that the country is a responsible and transparent global power. But the investigation by the WHO is likely to take many months and could face delays. For starters, there are logistical headaches. China has placed the advance team of experts who are laying the groundwork for a broader investigation under a standard 14-day quarantine, forcing them to do some of their detective work from a distance. … The WHO’s investigation comes as China faces intense global backlash, including from the United States, for initially downplaying and failing to contain the virus, which emerged in December in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. … Now, officials are trumpeting Beijing’s response to the outbreak as a model for the world and attacking the United States for ‘shirking its responsibilities’ in the global fight against Covid-19…” (Hernández/Qin, 7/21).