China Under Intense Censure For Global Spread Of Coronavirus – OpEd

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By Dr Subhash Kapila

China is being pilloried by the global community for suppressing information on the outbreak of the China-Wuhan-Coronavirus in November 2019 of letting the Wuhan Viral Epidemic assume global pandemic dimensions leading to  thousands deaths the world over and opening China to charges that this suppression may be linked to Biological Warfare experiments having gone awry at the Wuhan based China’s Virology Laboratories clandestinely engaged in BCW experiments. 

China cannot deny that in terms of circumstantial evidence which has piled up in the last two months since the Wuhan Virus19 Pandemic assumed global proportions, China by its own conduct of suppression of the Wuhan Virus19 has opened itself up to the above allegations. Its subsequent conduct has also led to global charges that China is fudging both the facts and the magnitude of the WuhanVirus19 breakout.

No less than the President of the United States has alluded to in this direction. COVID-19 the term being applied by the World Health Organisation is a misnomer and a subterfuge to spare China from global allegations of a massive cover-up and thereby in the process denying the world to put into place in good time counter-measures to combat what started as Wuhan Virus19 Epidemic in China but which China could not control.  Nor did it inform the world of its amplification, scope and manifestation as to what rightly must be termed as “Wuhan Virus19 Pandemic”. 

China by its recent actions has further reinforced global perceptions after President Xi Jinping assumed the helm in China that it is not a responsible stakeholder in global stability and security. This severely dents China’s reputation both as a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council and those according it a place of honour in world councils. 

In 2020, a tipping point has been reached in terms of China’s relations with the rest of the global community by sheer callousness in which China has handled and suppressed the outbreak of the Wuhan Virus19 Pandemic. Major Powers of the World and especially the United States and major European Powers must lead a campaign to call China to account for inflicting on the world a calamity that is likely to surpass the total human lives lost and economic losses inflicted by World Wars I and II put together. The case exists for an International Inspection team to be sent to China by the United Nations for a fact-finding mission.

If the United Nations colluded in sending a UN Inspection Teams to Iraq for inspection of likely nuclear weapons programs then why not to China to inspect BCW activities in Wuhan? China can expectedly refuse such initiatives but then the global community needs to explore other alternatives to checkmate China’s disruptive activities ranging from military adventurism, aggressive brinkmanship and coercion and scant regard for international norms and conventions. 

Recently when the 5th Anniversary of the BCW Convention was celebrated leading countries like USA and India called for full implementation of the BCW Convention. China was noticeably silent on the subject  and nothing has come to public notice. It needs to be stated that the Major Powers with democratic systems need to come together to discuss measures to checkmate authoritarian nations like China, Pakistan and North Korea from holding the World to ransom. Can the world afford a repeat in the 21st Century, a repeat of 20th Century World Wars horrors and destruction?

The United States must lead the world in not letting the world to slip into mindsets. China has not helped its case of being an innocent victim of the WuhanVirus19 epidemic because after being initially on the defensive for not disclosing to the world in time of this in November 2019 or so when Wuhan first got afflicted, China has now brazenly gone on the offensive levelling charges that it was the United States that introduced the virus in China at the Wuhan Military Games in November 2019 when a 300 strong US Military Contingent visited Wuhan for the Games. 

China is also brazening it out by now indulging in “Mask Diplomacy “by shipping Masks and medical equipment” to afflicted countries in the poorer quarters of the globe. Whether the Wuhan Virus Pandemic was an inadvertent epidemic breakout from Wuhan or as a result of as some allege that it could be a spill over of BCW experiments gone wrong China, either way by its suppression of WuhanVirus19 breakout can be charged with  “Crimes against Humanity” going by prediction of millions of lives likely to be lost in addition to hundreds of thousands already lost and severe global economic breakdown. 

The economic costs of China’s suppression and fudging of facts are massive in terms of supply chains broken, stock markets crashing and shattered economies with massive unemployment in its wake. In fact, the Global Recession that is in the offing is being assessed as an unprecedented one surpassing the Great Depression of 1930s.

Dr. Subhash Kapila

Dr Subhash Kapila combines a rich and varied professional experience of Indian Army Brigadier ( Veteran), diplomatic assignments in the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Bhutan. Served in India's Cabinet Secretariat also. He is a Graduate of Royal British Army Staff College, Camberley, UK, Msc Defence Studies from Madras University and a Doctorate in Strategic Studies from Allahabad University. Papers have been presented by him in International Seminars in Japan,Turkey, Russia and Vietnam. Credited to him are over 1,500 Papers on geopolitical & strategic topical issues and foreign policies of USA, Japan, India, China and Indo Pacific Asia. He has authored two Books : "India's Defence Policies & Strategic Thought: A Comparative Analysis" and "China-India Military Confrontation: 21st Century Perspectives"

2 thoughts on “China Under Intense Censure For Global Spread Of Coronavirus – OpEd

  • April 12, 2020 at 1:38 am
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    ” what rightly must be termed as “Wuhan Virus19 Pandemic”. ” That comment all by itself (along with other language in the article) shows that this article is China bashing propaganda. The COVID-19 disease was first discovered in China. That’s a long way from proof that it started in China. The origin has yet to be determined. The raw statistics of the spread of the disease in USA and Europe suggest that it started there before China. Eventually, the Data will bring out the truth, but that time hasn’t yet come during the height of the pandemic.

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  • April 12, 2020 at 11:00 am
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    So the Chinese government started off by ignoring the problem. An example followed by others with far less excuse after the facts were known – unless you live in a kids TV program we have here (it’s called Trumpton)

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