Australia 'hurt the feelings' of China with calls for coronavirus investigation, senior diplomat says
By political reporter Jordan Hayne
One of China's most senior diplomats has refused to say the coronavirus pandemic originated in Wuhan, while accusing the Australian Government of damaging the relationship between the two countries with calls for an independent investigation into the virus.
Wang Xining, the deputy head of mission at China's embassy in Australia, gave a rare address at the National Press Club in Canberra, where he said Australia's focus on determining the origins of the virus had damaged international relations.
"It hurts the feelings of the Chinese people," he said.
"All of a sudden, they heard this shocking news of a proposal coming from Australia, which is supposed to be a good friend of China."
Australia was one of the first countries to push for an international investigation into the origins of the virus.
The World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization, eventually adopted a European Union resolution, co-sponsored by both Australia and China, calling for a "comprehensive, independent and impartial" investigation.
But Mr Wang said China believed Australia's early push was unfair, because it had been advanced on the presumption that Wuhan was the source of the virus.
"We believe this proposal was targeted against China alone, because during that time Australian ministers claimed that the virus originated from Wuhan, from China, and they did not pinpoint any other places as a possible source," he said.
"We don't think it was fair."
Asked to clarify, Mr Wang acknowledged the Chinese city was the first place to record a cluster of the virus, but withstood suggestions that meant the virus came from Wuhan.
"I think it's up to the scientists to find out the origin and also how it's been dealt with by different governments," he said.
In April, China's ambassador Cheng Jingye warned that if Australia pressed ahead with calls for an international inquiry into COVID-19, Chinese people might boycott Australian wine and beef.
Last week China announced an investigation into whether Australia has been unfairly dumping wine in the Chinese market.
China has already imposed restrictions on Australian barley, and on beef from four major abattoirs, as relations between the two countries have cooled.
The senior diplomat had the chance to sample such goods on Wednesday, with the National Press Club's menu featuring ingredients targeted in the trade dispute.
On Tuesday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg revealed he did not believe the $600 million sale of Lion Dairy and Drinks to China's Mengniu Dairy was in the national interest, after the deal was abandoned.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-26/senior-chinese-diplomat-addresses-australia-coronavirus-tensions/12596602