China block WHO COVID team from entering China

China has blocked the arrival of a team from the World Health Organization investigating the origins of the corona virus pandemic, claiming that their visas had not yet been approved even as some members of the group were on their way. The WHO has been attempting to send in the team of global experts from a number of countries for some months. It has been talking with Chinese officials since July. Scientists have long said it is essential to find out how the virus jumped species into humans.

The WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed his dismay and said he had called on China to allow the team in. “I’m very disappointed with this news, given that two members have already begun their journeys, and others were not able to travel at the last minute,” he said.“But I have been in contact with senior Chinese officials. And I have once again made made it clear that the mission is a priority for WHO and the international team.”

Dr Mike Ryan at WHO said the team had been working very closely with Chinese colleagues on planning the trip.“We were all operating on the understanding the team will begin deployment today he said. Two members of the team, who had a long distance to travel, had begun their journeys, but it had become clear that their visas had not been approved by the Chinese authorities.

He also said “We did not want to put people in the air unnecessarily if there wasn’t a guarantee of their arrival in China being successful,” The team hoped it was “just a logistical and bureaucratic issue that can be resolved very quickly”. One of the two colleagues who were on their way had gone back, while the other was remaining in a third country in transit.

Ilona Kickbusch, the founding director and chair of the Global Health Centre in Geneva, “I think it will be incredibly difficult to be able to find the origin of the virus, because so much time has passed,” Kickbusch said.

Bigger Conspiracy?
There has been earlier speculation that the virus originate from Wuhan lab, and now blocking of WHO team is directing somewhere else?

Also others think that it might be the start of geo warfare or biological warfare, and can be part of US-China geopolitical problem or the rise of power, given the rise of many tension in Asian geopolitical region.