The Associated Press obtained internal Chinese documents confirming long-standing speculation that China’s control of information on the origin of the new coronavirus research this year was directed by senior Chinese officials to fully control censorship and prevent research teams from providing data and samples to the public, and that violators need to be held accountable.
According to an investigation published by the Associated Press on Dec. 30, internal Chinese documents show that scientific papers related to the outbreak are subject to review, and all research teams are instructed not to provide outbreak-related data, biological samples, pathogens, etc., which has hampered collaboration between scientists from the international community and Chinese researchers.
Writing papers “on the land of the motherland”: Higher-ups control research projects
The Associated Press obtained an annex to the “Supplementary Provisions on Strengthening the Management of Science and Technology during the Emergency Response to Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia” issued by the Science and Technology Division of the CDC on February 25 of this year, which reads, “During the emergency response to the epidemic, we should focus our strengths, prioritize our priorities, focus our main efforts on the prevention and control of the epidemic, write our papers ‘on the motherland the earth’, apply research results to defeat the epidemic, and should not focus on publishing papers before the task of epidemic prevention and control is completed.” This notice also explicitly states that no one can provide epidemic-related information, including data, biological specimens, pathogens, cultures, etc., to other institutions and individuals on behalf of individuals or research teams without permission.
The AP’s investigation included interviews with numerous Chinese and overseas scientists and officials to clarify how the Chinese government controls information about the outbreak from the top down, including a public health expert who works regularly with the Chinese CDC who told the AP, “They only choose people they can trust, those they can control,” and that the military and other teams are working on this.
In addition to blocking research collaborations with foreign scientists and preventing foreign media from investigating the source of the New Crown outbreak, China is also reportedly funding and promoting the content of papers that point out that the New Crown outbreak did not come from China.
“This will not be made public” Xi instructs information management on outbreak prevention and control
Another notice obtained by the Associated Press, issued March 3 by the State Council of China’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism for the New Coronavirus Pneumonia Epidemic and marked in parentheses “This is not for public consumption,” states that local units should “implement the spirit of a series of important instructions from General Secretary Xi Jinping on the prevention and control of the epidemic,” strengthen the review of epidemic research results, take the initiative to communicate and coordinate, and be held accountable if “false” research results are released without being submitted in accordance with the prescribed procedures, causing serious adverse social impact.
A former CDC official, who asked not to be named, told the Associated Press that he believes “this is for political reasons, because overseas people may be able to find conflicting statements with China, so everything is under control.”
Under the official banner of epidemic prevention and control, the results of China’s new crown research project continue to be tightly controlled, and the world’s research into the source of the new crown epidemic remains confused and continues to be hampered.
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