Beijing, China - Aug 17, 2021 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of press briefing in progress
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) spokeswoman, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (partially overlaid with shot 3):
"First of all, I would like to ask you, the Bloomberg: How much have you reported on the Chinese netizens' and Chinese authorities' appeal for conducting the origin tracing of COVID-19 in multiple regions of the world and on the doubtful points about the United States itself related to the origin of the virus? I think it may not be in line with the principle and position of objectivity and impartiality that a media organization should take, if you focus on other countries with a magnifying glass on the origin tracing, but turn a blind eye to the universal voice and doubts of the people around the world. The Chinese government has already issued a white paper on its fight against the epidemic with a very clear timeline."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
3. Reporters at press briefing
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
4. Various of reporters at press briefing
5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) spokeswoman, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (starting with shot 4):
"I think everyone is very clear about the timeline of China's fight against the epidemic. I hope that the Bloomberg can work together with us to urge the U.S. side to take a correct, scientific and rational attitude on the issue of origin tracing of COVID-19 and to support the World Health Organization (WHO) in carrying out the origin tracing work in multiple regions around the world. What is imperative now is that the U.S. should open its Fort Detrick lab and the one in North Carolina for investigation, as well as the other more than 200 biological labs scattering around the world for the same purpose. In this case, I think we can better understand the ins and outs of the virus and be more united and more effective in responding to possible similar public health crises in the future."
6. Various of reporters at press briefing

As China has already issued a white paper with a clear timeline of its fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, what is imperative now is that the United States should open its biological labs for investigation on the origin tracing of the coronavirus, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday.

Hua made the statement at a press conference in Beijing in response to a question about controversy over the work of COVID-19 origin tracing.

At the press conference, a Bloomberg reporter asked when China learned of the study, published on June 7 in the open-access journal Scientific Reports, that documented the flourishing wildlife trade in Wuhan, questioning whether China has tested the wildlife traders, transporters and vendors for antibodies of the virus.

Hua said that media organizations should hold an objective and fair position on their news coverage, rather than target a specific country in biased manner.

"First of all, I would like to ask you, the Bloomberg: How much have you reported on the Chinese netizens' and Chinese authorities' appeal for conducting the origin tracing of COVID-19 in multiple regions of the world and on the doubtful points about the United States itself related to the origin of the virus? I think it may not be in line with the principle and position of objectivity and impartiality that a media organization should take, if you focus on other countries with a magnifying glass on the origin tracing, but turn a blind eye to the universal voice and doubts of the people around the world. The Chinese government has already issued a white paper on its fight against the epidemic with a very clear timeline," said Hua.

China urges the United States to open its biological labs for investigation on the COVID-19 origin, to enhance global cooperation in clarifying the ins and outs of the virus and in responding to possible similar public health crises in the future, said Hua.

"I think everyone is very clear about the timeline of China's fight against the epidemic. I hope that the Bloomberg can work together with us to urge the U.S. side to take a correct, scientific and rational attitude on the issue of origin tracing of COVID-19 and to support the World Health Organization (WHO) in carrying out the origin tracing work in multiple regions around the world. What is imperative now is that the U.S. should open its Fort Detrick lab and the one in North Carolina for investigation, as well as the other more than 200 biological labs scattering around the world for the same purpose. In this case, I think we can better understand the ins and outs of the virus and be more united and more effective in responding to possible similar public health crises in the future," she said.