TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday (April 21) joined a group of world leaders demanding China's explanation of the ongoing pandemic and urged the Chinese government to be transparent about the origin of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

At a press interview in Berlin, Merkel requested the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to reveal more information about the early days of the outbreak, which is widely believed to have originated in the city of Wuhan. She emphasized that it was vital for China to be transparent about the "origin story of the virus," so the world could have a better chance at containing the spread of the deadly disease, reported CNA.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Friday (April 17) also stressed the importance of understanding the origin of the virus. He described China's revised number of COVID-19 cases "worrying" and called for the East Asian superpower to participate in an investigation of early coronavirus reports from Wuhan.

Maas said the CCP would have to answer a few key questions related to the pandemic at some point. He added that the Chinese authorities would have "plenty of opportunities" over the coming weeks to demonstrate how transparent they want to be in handling this global crisis.

According to Liberty Times, Germany was not the first country that accused China of downplaying the outbreak. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has also questioned the CCP for its mishandling of the virus, while French President Emmanuel Macron pointed out that it would be "naïve" to suggest that China has dealt with the crisis well.