China's hesitancy to join the UN project involving other Asian nations may compound frustration by global researchers who have been pressing Beijing to share information about the origins of COVID-19.
HANOI, Vietnam – China is not participating in a United Nations project to survey Asian wet markets and other facilities at high risk of spreading infectious diseases from wild animals to humans, despite long-running talks with Beijing, a UN official told Reuters.
The selection for the project, launched in July 2021, was also made after major wildlife trafficking cases were detected, investigated, and prosecuted in those countries, which increased zoonotic risks, the official said. The official said NFGA initially showed interest in the project but eventually declined to join, saying it was not under its remit. The agency did not indicate which government agencies would be responsible for the matter, the official said.
China has since banned the sale and consumption for food of wildlife animals. Despite the ban, experts warn risks still remain. China’s public security organs have handled more than 70,000 criminal cases involving wild animals from 2020-2022, confiscating 1.37 million wild animals in the process, state news agency Xinhua has reported.
After China effectively dropped out from initial talks, it was replaced with the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island, according toAbout 40 facilities in each participating country are to be surveyed to identify potential risks of disease transmission.
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