China’s top diplomat, says it’s unclear whether coronavirus had first originated in the country, casting doubt on the views of health experts and foreign governments.

Speaking during a visit to Norway last week, State Councillor Wang Yi said that while China was the first country to report the existence of the virus to WHO that “does not mean that the virus originated in China”.

“Actually, for the past months, we have seen reports … showing that the virus emerged in different parts of the world, and may have emerged earlier than in China,” Wang told reporters, speaking through an interpreter.

Health authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan reported the first case of what turned out to be the new coronavirus in December, and the first known death linked to the virus in early January.