How China is meddling in the search for the origins of COVID-19
'It has become a black hole of no information because of political sensitivity and secrecy'
![Huanan market vendor Jiang Dafa](https://www.ausdoc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/one-time-jiang-dafa_aap_0-1.jpg)
Deep in the lush mountain valleys of southern China lies the entrance to a mine shaft that once harboured bats with the closest known relative of the COVID-19 virus.
The area is of intense scientific interest because it may hold clues to the origins of the coronavirus that has killed more than 1.7 million.