China says shared Covid information 'without holding anything back'

China defends Covid-19 transparency amid WHO criticism, emphasises global cooperation in pandemic prevention and response efforts.

Beijing insisted on Tuesday (December 31, 2024) that it had shared information on Covid-19 "without holding anything back", after the World Health Organization implored China to offer more data and access to understand the disease's origins.

Covid-19, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2020, went on to kill millions of people, shred economies and overwhelm health systems.

The WHO published a statement on Monday (December 30, 2024) saying it was a "moral and scientific imperative" for China to share more information.

In response, China defended its transparency, saying it had made the "largest contribution to global origin tracing research".

"Five years ago... China immediately shared epidemic information and viral gene sequence with the WHO and the international community," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

"Without holding anything back, we shared our prevention, control and treatment experience," she told reporters at a regular press briefing.

But over the course of the pandemic, the WHO repeatedly criticised Chinese authorities for their lack of transparency and cooperation.