At a regular press conference on Friday, Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, highlighted the ongoing close cooperation between the Chinese government and WHO in fighting the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, and the importance of a global response based on facts rather than speculation.

Dr. Ryan made those comments in response to a question regarding the accusation made by a US official that China "is not being transparent" in releasing information on the COVID-19 outbreak.

He described such accusations as mere "opinions and speculation", stressing that "we've had a team on the ground. Our WHO offices have been there since the very beginning. Our country representative and a team were in Wuhan weeks and weeks and weeks ago".

He emphasized that from WHO's perspective, the Chinese government has been cooperating. It is inviting in international experts, sharing sequences with the world, engaging with the rest of the international community and again and again publishing in credible international medical journals. He finds it hard to square these performances with the comments of the said US official.

He noted that everyone is entitled to their opinion. But everyone is also entitled to suggest evidence for further opinion. "We should try, all of us, to avoid politicizing this issue right now."

He pointed out that over the last 20 years, there has been a deep scientific collaboration between China and the US and other countries around the world. "Scientists collaborate, regardless. They will get on with it."