Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 October (HL8918), what assessment they have made of any difficulties in reconciling the objective for a full investigation into the origins of COVID-19, with the statement that the overnment of China "has to be part of the solution".
It remains important that there is a full and robust international investigation into the origins of Covid-19, to understand why the outbreak happened, why it was not stopped earlier and what can be done to manage any outbreak in the future. Work is underway on the review and investigation into the origins of the virus as agreed by the World Health Assembly in May. We will continue to work closely with the WHO and international partners, including China, to ensure that it is independent, evidence-based, transparent and rigorous so that the right lessons are learned. This is consistent with recognition that China is an important member of the international community. Its size, rising economic power and influence make it an important partner in tackling the biggest global challenges, including global health issues.