The United States and 13 other countries have condemned the findings of a recent World Health Organization (WHO) visit to China. They have demanded an additional investigation, claiming that China denied WHO scientists full access to sites and to data.
WHO says it is unlikely that the deadly virus came from a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan and is exploring the possibility that it originated elsewhere in the world before causing an outbreak in China.
Denmark, Norway, Great Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan are among the countries to have joined the US protest at WHO’s handling of the probe.
Switzerland will not be joining their ranks. “We were informed about the statement by the US. Switzerland has decided not to participate in this statement,” the Swiss foreign ministry told the news agency Keystone-SDA.
This confirms an article in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper on Thursday morning.
The foreign ministry did not want to comment on speculation on whether Beijing obstructed the WHO investigation. Switzerland has decided to adopt a neutral stance as the search for more scientific information continues.
More
More
What Switzerland can do about the US-China rivalry
This content was published on
Rising tensions between the two powers pose a challenge to smaller countries on the sidelines that want to avoid getting caught in the middle.
Swisscom records over 200 million cyberattacks per month
This content was published on
Swiss state-owned telecommunications provider Swisscom has to defend against 200 million cyberattacks on its own infrastructure every month.
This content was published on
International Women's Rights Day saw some 4,800 demonstrators march in the Swiss cities of Lausanne and Geneva on Saturday.
Diversity and equality ‘under threat’: ex-Swiss minister
This content was published on
Dismantling diversity programmes is a backwards step for equality, warns former Swiss government minister Simonetta Sommaruga.
Swiss regulator fines US bank Citi over fat-finger crash
This content was published on
Citigroup fined CHF500,000 by Swiss stock exchange regulator after a fat-finger trade caused a 2022 flash crash in European stocks.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
The Swiss textile machinery industry has a China dilemma
This content was published on
Amid allegations of forced labour in Xinjiang, the Swiss textile machinery sector faces thorny questions about its ties to and reliance on China.
Number of Covid-19 vaccinations rises in Switzerland
This content was published on
The number of Covid-19 vaccines administered in Switzerland from March has risen to an average of 23,807 a day. That’s up 17% on last week.
Switzerland to remember Covid victims in virtual candlelight vigil
This content was published on
Starting Saturday, the Swiss will be able to light a candle on the Internet and “flood the map” of the country “with a sea of lights”.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.