Coronavirus is Indeed Wuhan Virus — Don’t Give China a Clean Chit

the quint
March 22, 2020
Seema Sirohi

The Shakespearean cliché “What’s in a name” has a new answer: “Everything.” Yes, the “Wuhan virus” by any other name would be just as deadly but naming it for its place of origin is important and the right thing to do.
The whole world – repeat the whole world – is suffering because China caused a global pandemic. It hid the facts in the early stages, destroyed samples, silenced its doctors who sounded the alarm, refused to share information with other countries in time and used its clout in the World Health Organisation to underplay the human-to-human transmission.
The great Chinese cover-up allowed the virus to spread exponentially for weeks. In that time 5 million Wuhan residents were allowed to leave the city without any medical checks. They travelled within China, spreading the virus to other cities and ultimately to other countries.
“China Lied, People Died” is a well-deserved Twitter hashtag for China’s malign behaviour. Countries have been sanctioned and punished for far less.
Having controlled the virus at home—or so they claim—China is now cynically exploiting the suffering and confusion in other countries to evade responsibility and install alternate narratives. Historical record is being rewritten under our very noses.
China has stooped to dangerous lies that the virus was only “discovered” in China and did not originate in China. That the US army might have brought it to Wuhan when its teams visited the region for the Military World Games in October. Latest in this regard is the claim that the coronavirus symptoms appeared in Italy earlier than in China.
On the other side, China is trying to refurbish its image by “donating” medical supplies. But even that may be a partial lie. Italy, a country that’s seen more deaths now than China, got some supplies but it was aid with “Chinese characteristics” with built-in promises to avoid criticism of China’s handling of the virus.
What if the whole world actually comes together and rethinks its engagement with China instead of just Donald Trump?
So China must “save face” by whatever means necessary. The disinformation campaign mounted by Chinese ambassadors from South Africa to Serbia has gone into high gear. It must be fought.

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