Australia’s calls for an independent inquiry into the origins of Covid-19 is “reasonable” and not targeted at any specific country, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said.

Australian-Chinese bilateral relations have soured in recent weeks after Morrison called for the inquiry into the origins of novel coronavirus.

Morrison insisted his call was not an attempt to criticise China, and while Canberra’s largest trading partner may feel slighted — Australia would continue to press for the review.

“This is a virus that has taken more than 200,000 lives across the world. It has shut down the global economy. The implications and impacts of this are extraordinary. Now, it would seem entirely reasonable and sensible that the world would want to have an independent assessment,” Reuters quoted Morrison as saying.