China cannot accept the current plan for a second phase of an investigation into the origin of the COVID-19 virus proposed by the World Health Organization, as the plan has been compromised by political manipulation and disrespect of scientific facts, Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, said at a news conference on Thursday. Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, at a news conference on July 22, 2021. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn] Zeng said the plan has listed the hypothesis that China had violated lab regulations and leaked the virus as one of the major research objectives, which left him "very shocked" after reading the proposal. Zeng said Chinese experts have voiced their concerns and suggestions for improving the investigation plan to the WHO. "We hope the WHO can carefully consider the advice by Chinese scientists, take investigating the origin of the COVID-19 virus as a scientific question free from political interference, and proactively and properly conduct sustained investigations into the origin of the virus in various countries across the world," he said. Experts attending the news conference also called for the international scientific community to conduct multifaceted, dynamic, and wide-ranging investigations around the world on the origins of the COVID-19 virus, and not limit their options to a couple of hypotheses and destinations. Liang Wannian, team leader from the Chinese side of the World Health Organization-China joint expert team, at a news conference on July 22, 2021. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn] Liang Wannian, team leader from the Chinese side of the World Health Organization-China joint expert team, said the place of origin and transmission of the COVID-19 virus is more complicated and puzzling than previously anticipated, as countries around the world have reported finding traces of the virus in clinical samples and environment months before their first reported COVID-19 cases, with some dating even earlier than the first reported case in China in late December of 2019. For example, Italian doctors collected a skin sample in November 2019 from an anonymous 25-year-old Milan resident that was later confirmed to yield traces of the COVID-19 virus, suggesting that the virus was already spreading in Italy by the time. Scientists also found particles of the virus in two samples of human sewage collected independently on Nov 27, 2019, in Santa Catalina, Brazil. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed over 7,000 blood donations from nine states between Dec 13, 2019, and Jan 17, 2020, and found 106 samples tested positive for antibodies against the COVID-19 virus, implying that the virus may have arrived in the country by December 2019. "These examples show that Wuhan may not have been the ground zero for the virus spilling over on to humans," he said, adding that there could be other complex transmission scenarios such as infected animal or humans contaminating objects, the objects passing the virus to humans and then leading to human-to-human transmission. Liang said it is key to investigate other countries and regions concurrently to better understand the early clinical cases, genetic sequence of the virus, as well as its methods of transmission including natural spillover, spread through intermediate host, and the role of cold-chain logistics. "These are very complicated and difficult scientific questions that require solidarity and cooperation from scientists, governments and the public around the globe," he said. Wang Chen, president of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, at a news conference on July 22, 2021. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn] Wang Chen, president of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, said the COVID-19 virus is extraordinarily complex. "If we want to trace its origins, we shouldn't limit our horizons and should properly expand our options," he said. 记者：王小予 张之豪Click here for audio and translation of the story