More than 110 countries at the World Health Assembly on Monday night backed a resolution calling for an impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation of the international response to the pandemic.

This is something Australia and the US have been pushing for, with it being a clear political move by the US Government to shift the blame for its own failure to respond effectively to the epidemic within its own borders.

The finger-pointing by the Trump administration, and by US allies including Australia, initially prompted China to refuse to cooperate.

However, on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping also backed the WHO-led review, adding his country had acted with “openness and transparency and responsibility” all along.