Russia’s denial of a plague case reached Chinese audiences

On October 7, Xinhua, China’s state news agency, relayed Russian statements that there was no plague case and reports from the World Health Organization, the United Nations health agency.

The publication is dated 20:29:03 China time, which matches Irkutsk time. It continues the international circulation of Russia’s explanation.

Corrected on 8 October: an additional check located Guo Jiakun’s official response of 6 October. China’s foreign-ministry spokesperson referred to cooperation with Russia on infections, including plague. This replaces the earlier statement that no official response had been found. See the separate article.