This Sept 16, 2020 shows Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu delivering a speech at a virtual Vision China event titled "Shaping our Future Together: Poverty Eradication & Peaceful Development". (FENG YONGBIN / CHINADAILY.COM.CN)

Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu has elaborated on Beijing's latest four-point position on novel coronavirus origin-tracing efforts, stating objection to any move that politicizes the issue, betrays the China-WHO joint research report or skips the consent of the surveyed countries.

Tracing the origin of the novel coronavirus is a scientific issue, and the animal source of the virus and the way it spreads to human beings "can only be found by scientists" so as to better guard against future risks and protect the life and health of all mankind, Ma said.

No country is entitled to ignore (human) lives for its own political self-interest, to politicize scientific issues, and to smear and attack other countries.

Ma Zhaoxu, Chinese vice-foreign minister

"No country is entitled to ignore (human) lives for its own political self-interest, to politicize scientific issues, and to smear and attack other countries," Ma said, making the remark at a briefing held in Beijing on Friday for foreign diplomats based in China.

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The conclusions and advice offered by the China-WHO joint research report in March have been recognized by the international community and the scientific community, and it "must be respected and implemented by all parties, including the WHO Secretariat", Ma said.

"The future global origin-tracing work should, and can only, be carried out on the basis of this report" rather than starting all over again on a different path, he said.

China has always supported and will actively participate in the scientific origin tracing, and China is implementing and will continue to implement the relevant work advice from the joint research report, he added.

"We oppose origin tracing being driven by political manipulation, violating WHO resolutions or overturning the China-WHO joint origin-tracing research report. And what we support is origin tracing based on science," he said.

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The WHO is led by its member states, and given the great importance of origin tracing work, the global origin tracing efforts should be and must be led by the member states, Ma noted.

He pointed out that the WHO Secretariat should fully consult with member states on the global origin-tracing work plan, including the mechanism for follow-ups, and fully respect the views of member states.

In particular, the origin-tracing plan for the countries involved should be formulated in consultation with them, Ma added.

Only to this end can effective cooperation be carried out, and this is also clearly part of a WHO General Assembly resolution, he said.