Facts have proved that China has always shared its information relating to the COVID-19 pandemic with the international community in a timely and transparent manner, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular press conference in response to the WHO's claim that China's COVID-19 data was not giving an accurate picture of the situation.

Mao said China has maintained close cooperation with the WHO and kept constant and open communications with its headquarters, the Western Pacific Region office, and the representative office in China.

She said over the past three years, China has carried out over 60 technical exchanges with the WHO regarding COVID-19 prevention, medical treatment, virus tracking and other technical issues, noting that China and the WHO have had four technical exchange meetings since China optimized its COVID-19 response measures.

Meanwhile, China has shared the gene sequence of the virus from its COVID-19 cases via the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID), Mao said.

She noted that the WHO has repeatedly told China that the technical exchange meetings held by both sides have achieved positive results and the information provided by China helped global scientists to understand the virus evolution in China and helped international scientific community build confidence in China's COVID-19 prevention and control.

"We call for the WHO Secretariat to uphold a scientific, objective and impartial position and strive to play an active role in the global response to the challenges of the epidemic," Mao said, adding that China will continue to carry out technical exchanges with the WHO as its COVID-19 response adjusts.

(Cover: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular press conference in Beijing, China, January 5, 2023. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)