China slams Canadian Embassy after staff member ordered customized shirts featuring Wuhan and bat patterns

Beijing has lodged an official complaint with the Canadian Embassy in China after reports emerged that a staff member ordered customized shirts featuring Wuhan and bat patterns in July 2020.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin urged the Canadian authorities to investigate the reports on Monday and take immediate action. Wang stressed that diplomatic and consular personnel stationed abroad in any country in the world should strictly abide by the Vienna Convention and local laws.

The Chinese side was shocked by this and has lodged solemn representations with the Canadian Embassy in China, requesting that the Canadian side immediately investigate the matter thoroughly and give the Chinese side a clear explanation.

“The novel coronavirus is the common enemy of humans. Both the WHO and the international community have clearly opposed linking the virus to specific countries and regions and opposed any practice of stigmatizing or labelling.” 

Local media claimed that a Chinese shop manager who sells custom-made shirts recently posted a tip-off on WeChat under his real name that he customized shirts featuring the “Wuhan Bat” pattern for Canadian Embassy staff in July last year. 

It is widely believed that Covid-19 may have passed from bats to humans in environments like Wuhan’s wet market, but this has not been confirmed and specialists are still exploring multiple theories.

A team of experts from the World Health Organization is currently in Wuhan investigating the origins of the virus. On Sunday, the team visited a wet market where the virus may have first been transmitted to humans.

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