Posted on 04/15/2020 6:45:51 AM PDT by Dr. Marten
PRC moral turpitude forces us to consider the unthinkable.
We often ascribe a basic level of humanity to even the cruelest leaders, but People’s Republic of China leader Xi Jinping’s actions have forced us to rethink this assumption. Although the emergence of the novel coronavirus now known as SARS-CoV-2 was probably not due to China’s actions, the emphasis that its authoritarian system places on hiding bad news likely gave the disease a sizable head start infecting the world. But most ominously, China’s obsession with image and Machtpolitik raises serious questions about its lack of moral limits.
At some point the Chinese Communist Party learned of the epidemic and made a decision to hide its existence, hoping it went away. Exposés in Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post and the Chinese mainland’s Caixin show that the information that did flow out of China early in the crisis did so only because of the courage of individual Chinese people in the face of government repression. People in the Wuhan epicenter, however, began to get wise — and scared (here and here) — by the end of December 2019, forcing their government to say something. The authorities gave the impression of a nontransmissible disease already under containment. We know now this was entirely false, likely designed more to ease civil unrest than protect the people.
The mayor of Wuhan even suggested that the central government prevented him from revealing details about the epidemic until January 20. Considering the first public announcements came out of Wuhan on January 1, we can assume that Xi had a sense of the danger prior to that.
Clearly, downplaying the disease wasn’t working and it was time for the Party to get serious. But how serious? Would it provide full cooperation to the international community? Would being seen as the source of this virus hurt its international image? Beyond these, there was a darker dimension: the more Beijing cooperated, the less the disease stood to affect other countries. This includes countries China sees as a threat to its existence, like the United States. Why should China suffer the effects of a pandemic while others stayed safe — and increased their strength relative to China — based on China’s own costly experience?
Such a question is of course inimical to human decency. And yet we must consider that Xi Jinping has produced the greatest program of ethnic cleansing in the world today. He has curtailed freedoms in China severely and is the father of the panopticon state. His incessant military buildup threatens neighbors while using economic and other subversive means to erode the sovereignty of countries around the world. We should not assume it was beyond his imagining to withhold a degree of support from the international community to ensure that China would not suffer alone.
Strong evidence supports this idea. Hearing the World Health Organization (WHO) repeat and praise the Party line while giving short shrift to health advice until quite recently has alarmed many. Seeing Beijing sell defective wares and claim it as humanitarian aid has angered many more. Spreading disinformation during the crisis and hinting at using life-saving goods for leverage (original here) — while denying even the faintest hint of wrongdoing — I suspect have ruined China’s reputation for some time to come. In short, China’s good offices have been reserved almost entirely for burnishing its image at the world’s expense, while calling it “the greatest kindness and good deeds.”
None of this can prove whether or when Xi made a deliberate decision to withhold information in order to imperil others. However, as a long-time student and admirer of China, it is with great sadness I must concede that such a state — and its increasingly paranoid leader — might very well provide less than full cooperation to stem the pandemic of the century in the crass pursuit of its own interests. This may constitute biological warfare. But even if it doesn’t Xi should be brought to account for his other crimes against humanity.
The views expressed in this paper represent the personal views of the author and are not necessarily the views of the Department of Defense or of the Department of the Air Force.
I think the Diplomat is being far too diplomatic here.
That’s the same video I posted.
Also they might be broke right around now is when they supposed run out of foriegn currency.
A perfect storm is about to hit Xi, plus I heard both his livers are quite tasty.
This guy is toast
“Why were Italy and Iran infected first...?”
Much as I dislike China’s communist regime, I cannot be sure that they unleashed this virus deliberately. I suspect they developed it at the Wuhan lab for evaluation as a military asset, and somehow it escaped into the local population. Perhaps at that point the government, on becoming aware of this unplanned event, decided to wait and see what the virus would do in an open, unguarded population.
Wuhan has commercial ties to Italy and Iran, so it was natural that it would spread there rapidly compared to the U.S. or some other countries where a longer and more complicated chain of infection was operational at first.
I am not saying categorically that this was not deliberate, it may well be, but if so, it could probably be foreseen that the virus would eventually spread all over the world and would not be confined to a few places in direct contact with Wuhan.
As to the non-appearance of the virus in other Chinese cities, that is partly on the word of their government, although I think it would be hard to conceal New York or northern Italy levels of infection in Shanghai or Beijing. There were probably some cases and more than we’ve been told about.
But while I can’t be sure this was deliberate, actually I think we should react as though it was, since the attitude of the Chinese government has been atrocious, and they deserve the consequences anyway. The mere fact that they wanted to develop this virus is bad enough, the details of whether this was the pre-determined plan for it seems irrelevant since basically its existence is to cause us potential harm.
Did you happen to save a screenshot of the factcheck?
I don’t know if it was deliberate.
What I do believe is that once it got out, they decided to not let the crisis go to waste.
Russia does have cases, about 24.5K, and 198 deaths. North Korea is, of course, not even reporting any of their cases.
bump
Hangn’s is too good for Um.
Did anyone notice the key evidence that China must’ve created (and knew about this virus) in advance??
The evidence is the fact that they rushed to build massive hospitals in Wuhan VERY EARLY in the game. This tells us they knew what a vicious virus this is - in advance.
When they saw how it was beginning to spread, they realized the “Genie was out of the bottle” and they responded much quicker than they otherwise would have if this was a new virus infection that they didn’t know much about.
Of course, Italy, Iran, Spain, USA ALREADY HAD CHINA’s EXAMPLE to prompt them to be proactive, but China was the first country to have the Coronavirus. So they didn’t have an “example first-infection country” to illustrate the severity of the virus.
Thought you might want take a look at this.
No i didnt. I was too mad about it.
“Xi sure as hell wasnt alone in this.
Our own fourth and fifth columns in deep. Just as they were with the financial crash in 2008 and for 9/11.”
___________________________________________________________________
It must be looked into. The NIH active funding of the research at the Wuhan Lab is something front and center as is the role Dr. Fauci has played in it. Remember last week he made the statement that it came from bats in the wet market. That was a flat out lie from him.
Here is a key item. Finding out If that NIH grant authorized Gain of Function for this virus or if it was authorized in any other way.
I have heard there are competing power structures within the PLA
Ive noticed this about that poster on other occasions
no he did not... initially do this deliberately
Instead one or more of his weapons masters who were working on a version sold to Iran for use against us... accidently or intentionally let it slip out into the wild... and the rest has been his lying coverup. They have also now seen our response plan in action, and will alter their plan of next attack based on what the learned about responses from the West... going forward.
We know it was weaponized version as per British Intelligence has asserted.
I hadn’t heard that. Not surprised though...just assumed there would be.
“This may constitute biological warfare. But even if it doesnt Xi should be brought to account for his other crimes against humanity.”
______________________________________________________________________
Watch this documentary.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/coronavirusfilm?utm_source=Epoch_Times&utm_medium=Banner
Thanks for the confirmation. Let’s keep a close eye on Norse Viking, and run his solly alse back to Peeking!
Bump
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.