The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said he has discussed with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang the need for stronger collaboration on the origins of Covid-19, a subject of controversy that has strained Beijing's relations with the West, reports Reuters.

"Pleased to meet with Premier Li Keqiang," Tedros tweeted. "We discussed Covid-19 and the need for an aggressive effort on vaccine equity this year to vaccinate 70pc of all populations," he said, referring to the WHO campaign for fair access to vaccines around the world.

"We also discussed the need for stronger collaboration on Covid-19 virus origins, rooted in science and evidence," he added.