PA:
One of the reasons that Nixon opened the door to China was that he believed if he could tie our economy to China in a web of interdependence, then war between the two countries would become unthinkable.
There was then (and of course is now) a segment of Chinese leadership that resented that arrangement and was prepared to go to extreme measures (including risking national suicide) to break away from what they viewed as an American “trap”.
So, my view is that the Chinese leadership is not unified. Many of the leaders enjoy the wealth that trading with the west has brought China.
It may well be that China has a “Deep State” problem just like we do, and of course their “Deep State” would control the bio-weapons labs.
Imho the majority of the leadership does not want to crash their economy so they can crash everyone elses—but now they are playing with the ugly hand they have been dealt—lie and blame everyone else for this disaster.
Many of the leaders enjoy the wealth that trading with the west has brought China. ________
Then came Trump.
A person’s true character comes out in times of crisis.