By DAKE KANG and MARIA CHENG (Associated Press)
BEIJING (AP) — Efforts to find the source of the virus that killed millions and paralyzed the world have been hindered by political conflicts in China. paralyzed the world for months.
The Chinese government froze meaningful domestic and international efforts to trace the virus from the first weeks of the outbreak, despite statements supporting open scientific inquiry, an Associated Press investigation found. That pattern continues to this day, with labs closed, collaborations shattered, foreign scientists forced out and Chinese researchers barred from leaving the country.
The investigation uncovered that the freeze began earlier than previously known and involved political and scientific infighting in China.
As early as Jan. 6, 2020, health officials in Beijing closed the lab of a Chinese scientist who sequenced the virus and barred researchers from working with him.
Scientists warn that ignorance about the origins of the coronavirus makes the world susceptible to another outbreak, potentially undermining talks on a pandemic treaty. pandemic treaty talks coordinated by the World Health Organization set to culminate in May.
The main question is whether the virus came from an animal or resulted from a laboratory accident. A U.S. intelligence analysis suggests there is not enough evidence to prove either theory, but the debate has strained relations between the U.S. and China.
Unlike in the U.S., there is virtually no public debate in China about whether the virus came from nature or from a lab leak. In fact, there is little public discussion at all about the source of the disease, first detected in the central city of Wuhan.
Efforts to uncover the origins of the virus were hindered by bureaucrats in Wuhan trying to avoid blame, the central government that suppressed Chinese scientists, and the U.N. health agency itself, which may have missed early opportunities to gather critical information, according to internal materials obtained by AP. compromised early opportunities to gather critical information in hopes that by placating China, scientists could gain more access, according to internal materials obtained by AP.
In a faxed statement, China’s Foreign Ministry defended China’s handling of research into the origins, saying the country is open and transparent, shared data and research, and “made the greatest contribution to global origins research.” The National Health Commission, China’s top medical authority, said the country “invested huge manpower, material and financial resources” and “has not stopped looking for the origins of the coronavirus.”
The situation could have been different, as demonstrated by the outbreak of SARS, a genetic relative of COVID-19, nearly 20 years ago. China initially hid infections then, but WHO complained swiftly and publicly. Ultimately, Beijing fired officials and made reforms. The U.N. agency soon found SARS likely jumped to humans from civet cats in southern China and international scientists later collaborated with their Chinese counterparts to pin down bats as SARS’ natural reservoir.
However, leaders in China and WHO, China’s desire to control its researchers, and global tensions have all resulted in silence when it comes to searching for COVID-19’s origins. Governments in Asia are pressuring scientists not to look for the virus because they fear it could be found within their borders.
Even without those difficulties, experts say determining how outbreaks start is extremely difficult and it’s uncommon to know for sure how some viruses start spreading.
“It’s worrying how quickly the search for the origins of (COVID-19) became political,” said Mark Woolhouse, an outbreak expert from the University of Edinburgh. “Now this question may never be conclusively answered.”
CLOUDS OF SECRECY
Secrecy shrouds the beginning of the outbreak. Even the date when Chinese authorities first began searching for the origins is uncertain.
The first publicly known search for the virus happened on Dec. 31, 2019, when experts from the Chinese Center for Disease Control visited the Wuhan market where many early COVID-19 cases appeared.
However, WHO officials learned of an earlier examination of the market on Dec. 25, 2019, according to a recording of a confidential WHO meeting provided to AP by an attendee. Such an investigation has never been mentioned publicly by either Chinese authorities or WHO.
In the recording, WHO’s top animal virus expert, Peter Ben Embarek, mentioned the earlier date, describing it as “an interesting detail.” He told colleagues that officials were “looking at what was on sale in the market, whether all the vendors have licenses (and) if there was any illegal (wildlife) trade happening in the market.”
A colleague asked Ben Embarek, who is no longer with WHO, if that seemed unusual. He replied that “it was not routine,” and that the Chinese “must have had some reason” to investigate the market. “We’ll try to figure out what happened and why they did that.”
Ben Embarek declined to comment. Another WHO staffer at the Geneva meeting in late January 2020 confirmed Ben Embarek’s comments.
The Associated Press could not verify the search independently. It remains a mystery if it took place, what inspectors discovered, or whether they sampled live animals that might point to how COVID-19 emerged.
An inspection on Dec. 25, 2019, would have occurred when Wuhan authorities were aware of the mysterious disease. The day before, a local doctor sent a sample from an ill market vendor to get sequenced, which turned out to contain COVID-19. Chatter about the unknown pneumonia was spreading in Wuhan’s medical circles, according to one doctor and a relative of another who declined to be identified, fearing repercussions. A scientist in China at the time of the outbreak said they heard about a Dec. 25 inspection from collaborating virologists in the country. They declined to be named out of fear of retribution. WHO said in an email that it was “not aware” of the Dec. 25 investigation. It is not included in the U.N. health agency’s official
COVID-19 timeline
When China CDC researchers from Beijing arrived on Jan. 1 to collect samples at the market, it had been ordered shut and was already being disinfected, destroying critical information about the virus. Gao Fu, then head of the China CDC, mentioned it to an American collaborator. “When I met him, he complained that all the animals had disappeared,” said Ian Lipkin, an epidemiologist at Columbia University..
Robert Garry, who researches viruses at Tulane University, stated that a Dec. 25 investigation would be very important, considering what is known about the virus and how it has spread.
“If we could directly take a sample from the animal itself, it would be very convincing, and there would be no debate about the origins of COVID-19,” he mentioned.
However, it's possible that the local officials were simply afraid of losing their jobs, as the memories of firings after the 2003 SARS outbreak were still fresh in their minds, said Ray Yip, the founding head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outpost in China.
“They were attempting to protect themselves and hide the evidence,” Yip remarked.
The Wuhan government did not respond to a faxed request for comment.
Another early victim was Zhang Yongzhen, the first scientist to publish a
. A day after he wrote a memo urging health authorities to take action, China’s top health official ordered Zhang’s lab to be closed.
“They used their official power against me and our colleagues,” Zhang wrote in an email provided to AP by Edward Holmes, an Australian virologist. virusOn Jan. 20, 2020, a WHO delegation arrived in Wuhan for a two-day mission. China did not approve a visit to the market, but they stopped by a China CDC lab to examine infection prevention and control procedures, according to an internal WHO travel report. WHO’s then-China representative, Dr. Gauden Galea, told colleagues in a private meeting that inquiries about COVID-19’s origins went unanswered.
many Chinese were angry at their government
. Among Chinese doctors and scientists, the sense grew that
By then, was looking for someone to blame.“There are a few cadres who have performed poorly,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping said in Beijing particularly strong comments in February
. “Some dare not take responsibility, wait timidly for orders from above, and don’t move without being pushed.” The government initiated investigations into top health officials, according to two former and current China CDC staff and three others familiar with the matter. Health officials were urged to report colleagues who mishandled the outbreak to Communist Party disciplinary bodies, as per two of the sources.Some people both inside and outside China suspected a laboratory leak. These suspicious individuals included
right-wing American politicians
, as well as researchers close to WHO. The focus shifted to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a high-level lab that conducted experiments with some of the world’s most dangerous viruses.In early February 2020, some of the top scientists in the West, led by Dr. Jeremy Farrar, formerly at Britain’s Wellcome Trust, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, then director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, joined forces to investigate the origins of the virus through calls, a Slack channel, and emails.
They prepared a paper proposing a natural evolution, but even among themselves, they could not agree on the most likely scenario. Some were concerned about features they believed might indicate manipulation.
“There have (been) suggestions that the virus escaped from the Wuhan lab,” Holmes, the Australian virologist who believed the virus originated in nature, wrote in a Feb. 7, 2020, email. “I do a lot of work in China, and I can (assure) you that a lot of people there believe they are being lied to.”
Scientists from America who are close to researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology warned their counterparts there to get ready.
On Feb. 9, 2020, James LeDuc, who heads a lab in Texas, sent an email to his colleague in Wuhan, saying that he had already been approached by U.S. officials. He wrote that it will be important to address this issue, with any kind of documentation available.
The Chinese government was conducting its own secret inquiry into the Wuhan Institute. Gao, the former head of the China CDC, and another Chinese health expert disclosed its existence in interviews months and years later.
in interviews months and years later
. Both said the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing, which Holmes, the Australian virologist, also heard from another contact in China. But Gao said even he hadn’t seen further details , and some experts suspect they may never be released., and some experts suspect they may never be released. WHO began discussions with China for a further visit with the virus origins in mind, but China’s Foreign Ministry determined the terms.Scientists were marginalized and politicians took control. China denied a visa for Ben Embarek, then WHO’s top animal virus expert. The itinerary dropped nearly all items connected to an origins search, according to draft agendas for the trip obtained by the AP. And Gao, the former head of the China CDC who is also a respected scientist tasked with investigating the origins, was left off the schedule.
Instead, Liang Wannian, a politician in the Communist Party hierarchy, took charge of the international delegation. Liang is an epidemiologist close to top Chinese officials and China’s Foreign Ministry who is widely seen as pushing the party line, not science-backed policies.
who is widely seen as pushing the party line, not science-backed policies
, according to nine people familiar with the situation who declined to be identified to speak on a sensitive subject. According to a Chinese media interview with a top China CDC official that was later deleted, Liang ruled in favor of shutting the Wuhan market at the beginning of the outbreak.According to a Chinese media interview with a top China CDC official that was later deleted
. Significantly, it was Liang who promoted an implausible theory that the virus came from contaminated frozen food imported into China. Liang did not respond to an emailed request for comment. . Significantly, it was Liang who promoted an implausible theory that the virus came from contaminated frozen food imported into China. Liang did not respond to an emailed request for comment.imported into China. Liang did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Most of the WHO delegation was not allowed to go to Wuhan, which was under lockdown. The few who did learned little. They again had no access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology or the wildlife market and obtained only scant details about China CDC efforts to trace the coronavirus there. On the train, Liang lobbied the visiting WHO scientists to praise China’s health response in their public report. Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saw it as the “best way to meet China’s need for a strong assessment of its response.
The new section was so flattering that colleagues emailed Aylward to suggest he “dial it back a bit.”
“It is remarkable how much knowledge about a new virus has been gained in such a short time,” read the final report, which was reviewed by China’s top health official before it went to Tedros.
As criticism of China grew, the Chinese government deflected blame. Instead of firing health officials, they declared their virus response a success and closed investigations into the officials with few job losses.
A public health expert who spoke with Chinese health officials anonymously mentioned that there were no real reforms because implementing reforms would mean acknowledging fault.
In late February 2020, the highly respected doctor Zhong Nanshan made an appearance at a news conference.
appeared at a news conference
and said that the epidemic first appeared in China, but it may not have originated in China. Shortly after, Chinese leader Xi issued new controls on virus research . A leaked directive from China’s Publicity Department instructed media not to report on the virus origins without permission
. Additionally, a public WeChat account reposted an essay alleging that the U.S. military created COVID-19 at a Fort Detrick lab and spread it to China during a 2019 athletic competition in Wuhan. Subsequently, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterated the accusation. The false claims made President Donald Trump publicly blame China for the outbreak,referring to COVID-19 as “the China virus” and the “kung-flu.” Chinese officials informed the WHO that blood tests on lab workers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology came back negative, indicating that COVID-19 wasn’t the result of a lab accident there. However, when the WHO requested an independent audit, Chinese officials hesitated and insisted that the WHO investigate the U.S. and other countries as well.By blaming the U.S., Beijing shifted the blame away from themselves. This tactic was successful in China.
, where many Chinese people were upset by racially charged criticism. However, outside China, it fueled speculation of a cover-up concerning a lab leak.
By the time WHO conducted
another visit to Wuhan in January 2021, a year into the pandemic, the atmosphere was toxic.Liang, the Chinese health official responsible for two earlier WHO visits, continued to promote the questionable theory that the virus was brought into China on frozen food. He suppressed information indicating it could have originated from animals at the Wuhan market, arranging for market workers to inform WHO experts that no live wildlife was sold and removing recent photos of wildlife at the market from the final report. There was intense political scrutiny, with numerous Chinese officials who weren’t scientists or health officers present at meetings. Despite limited access, theWHO team concluded
that a lab leak was “extremely unlikely.” Thus, it was frustrating for Chinese officials when WHO chief to dismiss the lab leak theory, stating that such lab accidents were “common,” and urged China to be more transparent. China conveyed to the WHO that any future missions to identify the origins of COVID-19 should take place elsewhere, according to a letter obtained by AP. Consequently, global cooperation on the issue has come to a standstill; an independent group assembled by the WHO to investigate the origins of COVID-19 in 2021 has been hindered by the lack of cooperation from China and other issues.
According to 10 researchers and health officials, Chinese scientists are still under significant pressure. Researchers who published papers on the coronavirus faced challenges with Chinese authorities. Additionally, others were prohibited from attending international conferences and WHO meetings. Gao, the former director of the China CDC, was investigated after
U.S. President Joe Biden has instructed a review of COVID-19 data, and repeated this after providing interviews on the virus origins. New evidence is viewed with doubt. In March 2023, scientists disclosed that genetic material obtained from the market indicated Tedros said it was “premature” raccoon dog DNA
mixed with COVID-19 in early 2020, information that WHO stated should have been shared with the public years earlier. The discoveries were published, then removed by Chinese researchers with minimal explanation.
The head of the China CDC Institute of Viral Disease was compelled to retire due to the release of the market data, as reported by a former China CDC official who chose not to reveal their name to discuss a sensitive topic. “It has to do with the origins, so they’re still worried,” the former official said. “If you try and get to the bottom of it, what if it turns out to be from China?” Other scientists point out that any animal from which the virus may have initially come from has since disappeared.
“China had the opportunity to collaborate with WHO and conduct some animal sampling studies that might have resolved the question,” said Tulane University’s Garry. “The trail to find the source has now gone cold.” Cheng reported from Geneva. The Chinese government halted meaningful efforts to trace the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, despite publicly stating that it supported an open scientific inquiry, an Associated Press investigation has found. The AP utilized thousands of pages of undisclosed emails and documents, leaked recordings and numerous interviews to demonstrate that the halt started much earlier than previously known — in the first weeks of the outbreak — and involved political and scientific disputes in China as much as international blaming. That pattern continues to this day, with labs closed, collaborations broken, foreign scientists expelled and Chinese researchers prohibited from leaving the country.
The head of the China CDC Institute of Viral Disease was forced to retire over the release of the market data, according to a former China CDC official who declined to be named to speak on a sensitive topic.
“It has to do with the origins, so they’re still worried,” the former official said. “If you try and get to the bottom of it, what if it turns out to be from China?”
Other scientists note that any animal from which the virus may have originally jumped has long since disappeared.
“There was a chance for China to cooperate with WHO and do some animal sampling studies that might have answered the question,” said Tulane University’s Garry. “The trail to find the source has now gone cold.”
___
Cheng reported from Geneva.
