New Zealand Won’t Criticize China Over WHO Virus Inquiry

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern shake hands before the meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on April 1, 2019. Kenzaburo Fukuhara/Pool/Getty Images

New Zealand have announced they would hold off on criticising the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) COVID-19 investigation in China despite thirteen nations—including New Zealand’s Five Eyes’ partners Australia, the UK, U.S., and Canada—pointing to a lack of “access, transparency, and timeliness” of data provided to investigators.

Governments have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities interfered with the process by creating significant delays, and failing to provide data.