Adopt science-based approach to pandemic, says Foreign Ministry

The Foreign Ministry called on Thursday for all countries to adopt a science-based and objective approach in formulating COVID-19 response measures and to avoid politicization of the pandemic after some nations decided to impose new entry requirements on travelers from China.

"We always believe that all countries' COVID response measures should be based on science and be proportionate," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular news conference.

"No country should politicize the pandemic or adopt discriminatory measures to affect normal people-to-people exchanges and cooperation," she said.

Countries including the United States, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom have required travelers from China to provide negative COVID-19 tests before departure or arrival.

In response to recent claims by a senior World Health Organization official about China's provision of information to the global body, Mao said that since COVID began, China has always shared information and data with the international community in an open, transparent and responsible manner.

"According to incomplete statistics, China has carried out more than 60 technical exchanges with the WHO since COVID-19 was first reported, on topics such as COVID containment, treatment, vaccine research and development, and virus origins tracing," Mao said.

On Tuesday, scientists from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention attended a meeting of the WHO's Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution. During the meeting, they spoke of the COVID-19 situation and related variants in China, Mao said.

"The WHO has noted on many occasions that the information and data that China shared has helped scientists from all countries to learn about the evolution of the virus in China," she said, adding that China will continue to closely monitor the mutation of the virus in China and release information in a timely manner.

Mao urged the WHO secretariat to uphold a scientific, objective and just position and play a positive role as the world jointly addresses the challenge of the pandemic.

In terms of the development of the disease in China, Mao said that the latest information released by the National Health Commission showed that no new variant or significant mutation has been found in China and the BA.5.2 and BF.7 sub-strains of Omicron have remained as the two major strains in the country.

The spokeswoman reminded Chinese citizens who are planning to travel abroad to confirm their health condition and the entry requirements of their destination countries in advance so that their itinerary won't be affected.