On March 23, 2021, Director-General of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences of the Foreign Ministry Yang Tao hosted a symposium with envoys of the BRICS countries to China. Team leader from the Chinese side of the China-WHO joint expert team of the SARS-CoV-2 origin research Liang Wannian provided detailed information about the background, process, findings and suggestions about future research of the China-WHO joint study, and had an in-depth exchange of views on such issues as global cooperation in origin source-tracing, virus mutation, virus transmission through cold chain, and the release time of the China-WHO joint study report.

The envoys spoke highly of the cooperation in origin source-tracing of the novel coronavirus between China and the WHO and emphasized that the origin source-tracing should be conducted based on science, and should not be politicized. When the pandemic is still spreading, the BRICS countries should enhance solidarity and cooperation, and make joint contributions to the global fight against the pandemic.