By A. Sivapathasundaram –

Accusation against China on the origin, source and spread of the Coronavirus (or Covid-19, in medical jargon) – even though logically and rationally deduced or derived based on facts and the chronological events in front of us – are being dismissed by some individuals as well as by some authorities as speculation.  

They quickly, easily term them as “Conspiracy Theories” and bucket them so, without further consideration, thought or evaluation.   

Some do so because of their already entrenched opinions—some  rightly formed too–against US, due to it being instrumental in aiding, abetting and perpetuating internal conflicts and destructive wars in certain countries for its own ends —for its objectives of world domination, geopolitical, strategic  and economic interests, promotion of arms industries and expansion of its corporate conglomerates.  

This anathema towards US has been further accentuated in some by their dislike for its current President, Donald Trump, added due to his lack of charisma, awkward demeanour, body language and his tendency to “shoot off from his hips” on and off with no care for anybody or anything. 

Trump is not reflective of the usual image of a US President, especially him coming in to take over the reins of the country immediately following the charismatic Barack Obama and falling far short of the latter’s oratorical skills and demeanour. 

I concur with their above perceptions of US and President Trump. 

However, what I disagree with is the labelling or even the perception that if you condemn or question the actions of China, you are pro US and a lackey of US and, going further, that of Western imperialism.  

And, let us not forget that US was always so and the Presidents elected in the recent past too, despite rhetoric and optimistic expectations of them, have mostly ended serving the same geopolitical, strategic, economic and financial objectives. 

The only difference is that the previous presidents have taken cover in niceties of words –in what could be called ‘politico-speak’, or ‘political double-speak’ and well- behaved demeanour; whereas Trump is blunt, does not mince words or resort to niceties in his expressions. He falls far short in charisma, demeanour and oratorical skills. 

Trump has to contend with the opposition Democrats, who would adopt strategies to dethrone him in the impending Presidential elections in November and in that process denounce him and his policies, statements and actions; China’s President Xi Jinpeng (who is said to be ‘Life-time- President’—an anachronism!) — do not have these political compulsions and limitations, thrusts and pulls to contend with.     

Trump is also symptomatic of an acute dearth of true leaders and leadership nowadays in many so called democratic countries, to whom one can look up to as a model and who really take the people of their countries in particular, and humanity in general, towards, peace, prosperity and progress. Most of them are crooked and are veterans in duplicity and hypocrisy — “playing for the gallery” with cheap populism, blinding the people with ignorance in order to attain and remain in power, also shamelessly extending undue positions and privileges for their families, cohorts and sycophants. — all at the expense of the long-term interest and welfare of the country and the people.  

Where I would depart is from the attitude and actions of those who while they justifiably condemn US and its President, directly or indirectly condone China and rush to ignore or absolve it of any wrong doings. 

Both US & China aren’t saints!

If US is considered as a “wolf”, China is “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” — both competing for the same objectives. Only the paths and tactics adopted are different – that of US is sometimes covert but mostly overt, and that of China always covert and ever subtle.

One can easily identify a wolf and take protective measures from being devoured, but it is very difficult to see through the designs of a wolf in sheep’s clothing—and only once entrapped in full in its claws, we would realise that it is also a wolf, not easy or even possible to extricate ourselves from it.   

US does its expansion on the ideology of democracy and free enterprise; China does it by an autocratic set-up of governance with a life-time President and a compliant and sycophantic politburo under the cover of ideology of its own brand of perverted communism, and trampling democratic norms and institutions.  

US interferes in other countries and exploits on the pretext of democracy and restoration of human rights for its own ends;  hina, on the other hand, having no constraints of a free media or democratic institutions, seeks and props up corrupt and greedy leaders of countries which have been rendered poor by their own leaders (and side-lined by US for some reasons) to achieve the same ends as US. It sets firm foot through enormous bribes and long-terms debts that tie these countries so as to be compliant and submissive to its interests, that include opening its doors unreservedly for its products, people, and transport, including its unhindered access to their military ships and aircrafts. China, in addition, while exploiting the natural resources and assets with the aid of the corrupt leaders to its advantage, also mostly employs its own people as labour force in their projects in other countries including in those that they fund through their loans. It is not a natural mobility but an organised movement of people by a government, despite availability of labour of that sort in the respective countries, in the name of efficiency; but indirectly getting back some part of their investment and the advantageous spin-off effects of having its people in large numbers in other countries.   

US engineers regime changes to serve its interests; China sustains corrupt regimes for the same purposes. 

There is production and proliferation of arms and ammunitions and the building of armed might by US; so is by China. 

China is involved in the tests on sophisticated atomic weapons in its province of Jinjiang as does US in its territory. 

US supports Israel and deploys its armed might to intimidate and exert its domination in the Middle Eastern countries; China supports Pakistan, a country run effectively by military junta, even helping to enhancing latter’s atomic warfare capabilities and propping it up in order to dent India which acts a bulwark against China’s expansionism. Also, China deploys its military might in South China Seas intimidating India, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and other countries of the Far East, jeopardising peace, security and stability in that region. 

To US, Cuba is its sworn enemy and determined not to allow to raise its head; to China it is Taiwan, determined to trample it. 

They both aren’t saints!

–Wrong is wrong, Evil is evil—be it West, East, North or South!

The moral dilemma that one is faced with in modern times is that one is given the choice of not between “right” and “wrong” but, “two wrongs”. Unfortunately, therefore, when one opposes or rejects one wrong, it is construed and labelled as support to the other wrong! – A precarious position indeed!  

Need for Impartiality & Objectivity

Therefore, irrespective of our notions of US and its leaders or the West or China or Russia, or any country for that matter, there is an imperative need for impartial and objective analysis by each and every one whose “souls are not yet sold”. 

This earth continues to suffer a dearth of proper thinking and necessary actions to follow up with, because of the propaganda, falsehood and lies that are continuously heaped on every aspect of our lives through the power of money and the capacity for reach through propaganda. 

We do not know whether we are dismissing the truths as falsehoods or accepting falsehoods as truths. 

It is easy and comfortable to dismiss as coincidences or conspiracy theories, even those matters that have to be further given thoughts and contemplation. 

We do it at our own peril and the peril of the humanity as a whole! The danger is, the real victim is the “truth” –the urge, the search for the truth and getting at it is denied!

Some Questions to Ponder

Now, let us (as a thinking common man and laymen would) look at the facts leading to the outbreak of the Corono virus –one thing that we all have been forced to occupy our mind with, at the exclusion of everything else—an unprecedented and a surreal situation that have been thrust upon us and shaken the whole world as never before, and pose a few questions that confronts us:  

• It is a known fact that the Chinese have been eating wild animals, some even raw, for many, many years. So, why the virus from them now?  

• By China’s own admission, the source of the Corono virus was the animal market in Wuhan. Surely there are thousands of such markets in other parts of China -in Beijing, Shanghai, etc. Why of all the places the origin is the market in Wuhan, where at a distance of only a few miles, there is the Wuhan Institute of Virology? – Coincidence, eh? —very strange and one in a million chance indeed!

• Why was the doctor in Wuhan, Li Wenliang,  who, in the months of November/ December 2019 itself, found out and warned the existence of a new kind of virus which has afflicted certain patients who came to him, was silenced, arrested and imprisoned as a “rumour- monger”’ and “disturber of public order”? Why did the Chinese government suppress him? 

• With did not the China’s authorities or the China’s medical fraternity investigate the authenticity of his concern? After all, he is not a novice nor a quack! – Was it because the Chinese government did not allow them and was in a hurry to bury the truth of a leak of the virus which they were developing as a biological warfare weapon in their lab at Wuhan Institute of Virology? 

• If it had started not from the lab, but from animals to animals and then to  human beings, and the source is the Chinese markets selling wild animals, why didn’t China forthwith ban all such markets and consumption of wild animals and put a permanent end to such trade in order stem any such proliferation now and in the future? 

• How is that they have all such markets have been reopened and the business is as usual? Surely, with the governance model that China has to decide the fate of its people, it would not take too long to implement a complete ban to the trade. Is it because they know that the source is not what they wanted the world to believe?  

• Why didn’t the Chinese government that was aware of the viability of the virus’s exponential contamination from humans to humans, the fear of which led them to have an unprecedented  lockdown of the whole of Wuhan in  January 2020 itself,  did not warn the world and block the movements of people including many thousands of the Chinese workers employed in many countries and the tourists and instead let them travel in and out of countries freely (the one single reason for world-wide infection) unhindered?

• Do not all these point to a logical and inevitable deduction and conclusion that China had allowed this  Coronavirus to spread worldwide in the full knowledge and for the purpose that the other economies are also dragged down as it is bound to happen to its own economy, with a design to recover faster before others and now making the situations to its advantage? 

• Isn’t it possible that, even though the other countries know about the real origin and source is the Wuhan Institute of Virology, they would be reluctant to conclusively point so and would rather let the doubts linger on , since all the major powers  do have such laboratories in their own countries and the people of these countries with democratic institutions and media, would protest and campaign for their closures, lest the same catastrophe befell them in the future? 

• Isn’t it not unusual that the scientists and the medical profession are divided on the source and properties of the virus, as it is normally is even when it comes to other diseases and illnesses that afflict humans? 

• Is it not possible that some in the medical profession (not all, they certainly are mostly very professional and honourable men and women with high integrity) including the higher echelons in the World Health Organisation (WHO) – some whose appointments are political–  may be working to China’s agenda or are possibly in a way are indebted to China for their current position and power? Is it any surprise when we have amongst us innumerable cases of corrupt politicians, businessmen, professionals, and bureaucrats influenced and bought over with the baits of money and power in all the fields and professions including sports? 

• Do not all these logically, rationally and inevitably, lead to and justify the accusing fingers pointing at China? 

Do they not therefore tantamount, not to “Conspiracy Theories”, but indeed “Conspiracy Actions” by China, for which it should be held accountable?