JAKARTA - Australian Prime Minister (PM) Scott Morrison had angered the Chinese government with his statement that Australia would carry out a global investigation into the COVID-19 outbreak in China.
However, Prime Minister Morrison later said he had no evidence to suggest the disease originated in a laboratory in the city of Wuhan, where the virus first broke out.
US President Donald Trump previously believed the new coronavirus originated in a virology laboratory in China, but declined to elaborate on the evidence he said he had found.
PM Morrison said Australia did not have information to back up that theory. He is confused about providing his support for investigations and understanding how the COVID-19 outbreak started and can spread rapidly around the world.
"Nothing we have got is going to show that it (the Wuhan lab) is a possible source, although you can't rule out anything in the environment," said Prime Minister Morrison.
"We know the virus started in China, we know it is in Wuhan, the most likely scenario that has been investigated is related to the wildlife wet market, but it is an issue that must be thoroughly assessed," he added.
The Wuhan Virology Institute (WIV) has also rejected the notion that the new corona virus originated from its laboratory.
Most scientists now say the virus originated in wildlife. Bats and pangolins were identified as the host species that allowed the spread of the virus.
Relations between Australia and China have been strained since the Kangaroo Country Government began gathering evidence for an international investigation into the COVID-19 outbreak.
China sees the probe as US propaganda against China, while PM Morrison says the world needs to understand exactly what is happening to prevent a repeat of the outbreak that has so far killed more than 200,000 people.
"That's why it's so important to understand what happened, to ensure that we can prevent such a wide global catastrophe from happening again," Morrison said.
The Chinese Ambassador to Australia said that Chinese consumers could boycott Australian beef, wine, tourism and universities in response to an Australian investigation. However, members of the Morrison government responded to this statement as a threat of economic coercion.
An Economy that Falls Due to COVID-19
Australia has managed to control the COVID-19 outbreak so far, but steps have been taken to see unemployment spike, the economy sinks into recession for the first time in three decades and government debt has risen massively.
The Australian government said they would hold a meeting next Friday, one week ahead of schedule, to decide whether to reduce social distancing rules. This was done because the number of new COVID-19 cases decreased and the pressure to open economic activities and schools continued to increase.
In Australia alone there are around 6,700 cases of COVID-19 and 93 of them have died. This figure is far below the US and Europe. The increase in sufferers of COVID-19 has slowed to less than 0.5 percent a day, compared to 25 percent a month ago.
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