China on Sunday defended itself against allegations of cover-ups and a lack of transparency and had said that it had “wasted no time” in sharing information with relevant health agencies, according to media reports.

China’s State Council Information Office on Sunday unveiled a detailed white paper, over 60 pages long defending its actions against the coronavirus pandemic. In the white paper, it had claimed that Beijing had “wasted no time” in sharing information on the virus with the World Health Organisation. It further said that the Chinese Centre for Disease Control had informed the US CDC about the virus as early as January 4, Hindustan Times reported.

Calling for global cooperation, the government had told the international community to avoid finger-pointing and politicising the virus, Reuters reported.

The Covid-19 pandemic which has taken the world by a storm had first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The country has been criticized for its lack of transparency and its role in the pandemic. US President Donald Trump on multiple occasions has accused China of cover-ups, allegations that Beijing has repeatedly denied.

The whitepaper praised the country’s success in controlling the pandemic and reducing the daily number of cases in about three months.

According to the report, China had spent a total of 1.35 billion yuan ($191 million) as the medical cost of all the coronavirus patients by the end of May.

China will further strengthen international cooperation in terms of Covid-19 vaccine trials based on earlier collaboration in vaccine development, said its science and technology minister.

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