An influential academic who writes for a Chinese Communist Party newspaper has accused Australia of 'stabbing China in the back' over its calls for an international coronavirus inquiry.

Shanghai academic Professor Chen Hong, who writes prolifically for the Global Times, said Australia's calls for an independent inquiry were 'a repeated display of hostility'.

'This kind of investigation actually proposed by the Australia side is not an investigation. It's called an independent inquiry talking about the lack of transparency. That is actually what is about,' he told 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown.


















Professor Hong (video at top) said Chinese ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye (pictured above) had not threatened economic destruction if Australia continued to call for an independent coronavirus inquiry. Instead he was 'describing the sentiments' of some in China


'That is actually the problem as there's no such thing as lack of transparency in the Chinese side.

'Australia is being and acting as a kind of divisive role, trying to point fingers, even stab at the back of China. This is actually not fair.' 

Australia has called for the World Health Organization (WHO) to support an independent review into how the coronavirus started and spread, and has been lobbying world leaders.

This has angered China which says is conducting its own investigation through the Chinese Communist Party, which should be enough.






Scientists think the coronavirus passed from bats, through an unknown intermediary species to humans, at an unhygienic wet market in Wuhan, China, where wild animals were kept in cages, slaughtered and sold for food. Bat soup is considered a delicacy in China (stock image)







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Global Times editor Hu Xijin (pictured left) with Professor Chen Hong (right). Professor Hong writes prolifically for the Global Times, owned by the Chinese Communist Party


China made its displeasure known last Monday when Chinese ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, warned the Chinese public might avoid Australian products and saham RISE universities if Australia continued to call for international involvement in the investigation.