Ever since the coronavirus pandemic hit the world, chin hs been under immense global pressure for an inquiry to understand the origins of the pandemic. Today, China said that it supports the establishment of a panel led by the World Health Organization to review the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, but “after the pandemic is over”

The review should be conducted in an “open, transparent and inclusive manner” under the leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, at a briefing.

Numerous countries including France, Germany, and Britain have urged greater transparency from China over its handling of the virus, while the US and Australia have also led calls for an international inquiry into the origins of the pandemic.

China has previously rejected similar calls for an investigation, accusing the US of “politicizing the issue”. However, supporting the investigation today, it stressed that any inquiry should be based on the International Health Regulations, and be authorized by the World Health Assembly or Executive Committee – the WHO’s dual governing bodies.