Lin Songtian (NI YANSHUO)

So far, studies by scientists in the United States, Europe, Japan and many other countries show that the source of the novel coronavirus is still unclear, uncertain and inconclusive, said Lin Songtian, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, at a press briefing in Pretoria on March 6.

Lin cited an article published on January 26 by Science magazine entitled Wuhan Seafood Market May Not Be Source of Novel Virus Spreading Globally. While speaking to Science, Daniel Lucey, an infectious disease specialist at Georgetown University, noted that the virus possibly spread silently between people in Wuhan - and perhaps elsewhere - before the cluster of cases from the city’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was discovered in late December.

“This means so far no scientific evidence proves that the novel coronavirus originated in China,” Lin told ChinAfrica.

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) also stressed that the source of the virus is still uncertain. Zhong Nanshan, a famous Chinese infectious disease specialist, made it clear that the coronavirus did not necessarily originate in China, let alone being “made in China.”

“The novel coronavirus is a kind of new virus that doesn’t target specific races or ethnic groups. It is wise for the public not to be influenced by stereotypes or to discriminate against any races or groups of people,” stressed Lin.

He noted that China and its people are also victims of the novel coronavirus, and that the Chinese people have suffered a lot and paid a very heavy price for it.

“Claiming that the virus is ‘made in China,’ or discriminating against the Chinese people is obviously unfair to us. What we need to do is to wait patiently for findings of the world scientists, instead of buying the rumors spread by irresponsible people,” he said.

Lin also introduced the latest developments in China’s fight against the novel coronavirus. He noted that China will certainly win the battle against the epidemic soon and the Chinese people are resuming work and production.

The number of both the new confirmed cases and suspected cases has been declining continuously and substantially for more than 10 days; at the same time, the recovery rate has been rising significantly, while the death toll remains low.

According to Lin, after more than one month of arduous fight, China has explored an effective “prevention and control program” and “treatment prescriptions” for the disease. Not long ago, a WHO expert team, after field visits and inspection in China, said that China is the most experienced and successful country in fighting the novel coronavirus. China's method is the only one that has been proven successful by facts, and all countries should learn from China’s aggressive response mechanism.

“We are committed to sharing the successful experience with the international community to jointly tackle infectious disease crises, improving the global public health governance system and capacity building, and carrying out exchanges and cooperation without reservation,” Lin stressed.