‘Unfortunately very predictable’: prime minister slams China’s move to block WHO investigators
Posted January 7, 2021 1:18 pm.
Last Updated January 7, 2021 1:25 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Our nation’s leader is pledging to ensure investigators with the World Health Organization are allowed entry to China, as they work to learn more about the origins of COVID-19.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the remarks during an exclusive interview with NEWS 1130 on Wednesday, after China held up efforts from WHO experts hoping to travel to Wuhan.
“There’s certainly going to be a time for necessary accountability and understanding exactly how the world ended up plunged into this terrible, terrible situation and the role China had to play in this as the origin of the virus is going to need to be known,” Trudeau said. “For China to not cooperate and not participate in that is unfortunately very predictable, given the recent stances by the Chinese government on collaborating with international authorities, but [it’s] not going to be able to protect them from making sure that the truth does come out.
Listen to the full interview with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
“We will find out how this virus started.”
When asked on whether Canada will join with other countries to force the issue with the Chinese government, Trudeau answered in the affirmative.
“Absolutely, we’re working with partners around the world to continue to put pressure on China on a large range of issues, whether it’s cooperating with international organizations like the WHO, whether it’s respecting international law, whether it’s not using the kind of coercive diplomacy that has two Canadians [spending] another Christmas in arbitrary detention. These are things we take very seriously and we’ll continue to work with our partners on.”
Those two Canadians are Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who China detained in December 2018, in moves widely believed to be in retaliation for our country’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou following a U.S. extradition request nine days before.
Spavor and Kovrig remain in Chinese detention, facing charges of acting as Canadian spies.
