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 inquiring minds want to know if China told Russia this was coming.
I would think they would have to have.
With all due respect it is a conspiracy of the lowest order.
Yes he did.
WHO was he helped by.
Why are they producing 250 watts each?
This spread a lot quicker and broader than it seemed it should have, almost as though someone sent travelers around the world to escalate the rate.
But that’s the tin foil talking, I suppose...
Look at Worldometer and compare the data of Western Europe and the US to anywhere in Asia, Africa, South America and to every city in China except Wuhan. Is this how a naturally developed virus should spread ? Of course Xi and the CCP did this.if the release was an accident, the reaction was deliberate.
Do Bears poop in the woods?
In the next few months we will likely learn that China has suffered far more casualties than we have been told. The CCP has worked very hard to control social media, alternative or independent news, and the flow of information from inside China to the rest of the world. Does anyone buy that they have suddenly had zero deaths the past few months?
They have failed to suppress this story. I suspect that there is growing anger in China as this pandemic had to spread throughout the nation. People in those areas will likely have the same thought we do - had they acted earlier and not suppressed the story lives would have been saved.
Communism is a brittle form of government. When you promote the state as a religion and the leader as the chosen one who is incapable of mistakes you tend to suppress bad news. Anything that harms this false narrative is viewed instinctively as a threat to each persons position between the pandemic and Xi. It is a severe flaw and it was best illustrated by Chernobyl in the USSR. Chernobyl created panic in the West, but NOTHING even remotely close to the damage of this pandemic.
In typical communist fashion, they have searched endlessly for another entity to blame. First, they tried to push the narrative that the US was responsible. That did not work and it was aimed at both internal and external people. Now it appears they are blaming African immigrants/workers. That tells us people inside China are made because it is not a narrative that sells well outside of China. Does this tell us Xi is worried about his internal reputation more than his external?
Chernobyl helped lead to the downfall of a USSR that was in dire condition financially. China is allegedly in a better financial position, but communism is also known for smoke and mirrors and the CCP has inflated their numbers so much that few know the truth.
Xi sure as hell wasn’t 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.
“Yes, the Chinese government wanted to make sure everyone was in the same boat.”
Our domestic enemies assisted with great glee — FOR THE 2020 ELECTION.
At least the CHICOMS are guilty of depraved indifference, which is more than enough to declare them non grata for eternity.
Who wants to get rid of Trump more,
China or the Deep State?
“Two pronged reason IMO.
1. Scientific experiment
2. Slow down the US economy”
Add a third prong:
3. Plausible cover for permanent disposal of disruptive peoples (e.g. Hong Kong protestors)
I read somewhere that 21 million Chinese cancelled their cell phone accounts over the past few months. I’ll have to see if I can find the link.
Are beijing and shanghai infected? If the answer is “no” or even “not really”, then we know they need to be destroyed.
“Are beijing and shanghai infected? If the answer is “no” or even “not really”, then we know they need to be destroyed.”
That is an excellent and over-looked point!
You bet your sweet bippy there’s been collusion between the DNC and the CCP.
Probably .
What about Seoul? As bad as South Korea is, Seoul seems to be relatively ok. Ditto for Rome, despite Italy’s problems.
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