Unscramble: Real Intentions of US-led Investigation and B3W Plan

Biden tasks intelligence community to report on Covid origins in 90 days Source: CNN

By Li Huailiang, Li Han, Liang Kairui, Li Zhe, Ji Deqiang

The RECENT G7 Summit 2021 has successfully drawn its curtain in which President Joe Biden commented to be extraordinarily collaborative. Among several joint efforts agreed by the G7 leaders, President Biden’s call for “tough and united action against China” is though claimed by the Forbes to be “pablum”, but remained to be a crucial message signaling “a new language and era of coordination around China”. What’s more striking is that the G7 summit is concluded and described by the British Foreign Policy Group (BFPG) to be “a renewed commitment by democratic nations to come together to reinvigorate the liberal world order, in the face of existential threats. ”

“Existential threats” are mainly responded and dealt with via two consensual strategic plans proposed by the Biden administration. One is to jointly continue pushing forward the initiation and investigation into the origin of COVID-19, foregoing the credibility of current US public health experts and authorizing special intelligent force to report on somewhat straightforward enough, a pathological science-based project instead. No wonder why the appointment seemed highly politicized and off-chart. The other is to financially join efforts behind the US-led Build Back Better World” (B3W) as a countermeasure plan that “could rival China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). These sequence of events are intrinsically related, though resulted mostly in words and lacking actual movements, but with such globally claimed commitment and consensus behind some of the world’s most developed nations, the underlining message and eventual goal may be misleading and attempting in an internationally demanded realization of a Chinese global outbreak compensation bill and severe damages to China's overall development from such one-end justification in the name of “reinvigorate liberal world order” .

Origin of the Virus for Justification of U.S. Scapegoating Strategy

On May 26 of this year, the U.S. President Joe Biden restarted the investigation into the origin of the novel coronavirus, requiring the U.S. intelligence community, instead of  health-related department, to report its findings within 90 days until August 24. As the rise in number of daily infected cases becomes unstoppable, the global outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has created a devastating recession as the economy shrank a record 31.4% in the second quarter of 2020 according to the Balance. The search for cause behind case zero of the novel coronavirus has since inevitably turned political in the form and scale of an international blame game directed by the “liberal world” towards China. Unfortunately, the general public opinion across borders is showing signs of consensus as the Trump and Biden administrations grabbed world media attention at all exposure through offline and online platforms to demonstrate and mislead the public with their severe groundless accusations since the outbreak. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci at the hearings in the U.S. Source: CGTN

It all started with the former U.S. President Donald Trump self-assertively and quite emotionally naming COVID-19 as a Chinese virus out of thin air. Later, the former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spread the lab leak theory further with greater theatrical gestures, which was regarded as a conspiracy theory and was ignored. However, after Biden ordered an investigation into the origin of the virus, the lab leak resurfaced, prompting mainstream media bodies such as the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and CNN to respond, which quickly gained widespread support from heavily pandemic-influenced countries forming opinion allies towards accusing China and demanding compensation. Gradual increase of media coverage and spread of strong allegations and attacks on the members of staff at the Wuhan Virology Institute denied previous effort into discrediting the conspiracy theory. The possibility of laboratory leakage and man-made virus, with no substantial scientific evidences, has gained the general public’s eyes and hearts jumping to conclusions that may have started with false accusations based upon groundless suspicions resulting in actual financial fines towards China, as one of the mostly affected countries and contributor in the fight against the virus right from the start. By politicizing the origin investigation, the United States and members of the G7 are launching waves after waves of international discrediting China of the global public opinion in order to lay the groundwork for suppressing, containing and rationalizing vicious and insincere attacks against China. Information and facts from various sources have demonstrated so far, that this “investigation” could be a schemed and co-organized joint efforts of a multinational operation for creating a scapegoat out of China and taking financial advantages from China.

Rationalizing claims through the origin investigation and impairing China's sovereign immunity

In the early days of the global pandemic, the Trump administration concocted the lab leak theory which provided those with ulterior motives to come forward and join in the “bandwagon” claiming compensation from China. The Trump administration's attempt to start off a blame-game by holding China responsible without any solid evidence has almost turned into a scapegoat-hunt which called forward many righteous scientists around the world to speak out and deny within an instance. The act has seemed to tone down. But with the Biden administration coming into power, the political force behind this presidency clearly has an ulterior motive and is not afraid to show it by ordering the intelligence community to come up with conclusions that should be made by scientists. Starting off the event by discrediting its own scientists has shown real determination in Biden administration to magically stir up mixed up emotions from the general public around the globe against China. Quite apparently, as we live in a digital age, public opinion and emotions are easily influenced by feeling-directed topics, among which finding a nation to blame for all the costs does not look too bad from overall benefits of countries that are mostly traumatized by the pandemic, and there are already bills before as the U.S. Congress and media spread tons of articles carrying accusations all based on nothing but nevertheless showing strength in justifying purpose and demanding compensations from China. Such actions are showing actual diplomatic damages and negative impact in weakening China’s collaborations and has even moved further into shaking what has been earned hard, proper and costly with the international community.

Two Sessions: Belt & Road Initiative can bolster post-COVID-19 Europe Source: CGTN

Undermining the Belt and Road Initiative and further isolating China

The U.S. has reached an agreement with G7 countries on the scheming and conducting of a politicized origin investigation of the COVID-19 and the U.S.-led countermeasure plan Build Back Better World (B3W) to undermine China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and attempting to contain and suppress China's international influence. The proceeding details may include: 

1. To declare China an irresponsible country on the pretext of a global epidemic caused by a leak in a Chinese laboratory

2. To demand that all signatories of the Belt and Road Initiative withdraw, without which they will not be able to get B3W support

3. To force China to cancel debts of the BRI signatories and drive a wedge between China and BRI countries. 

The U.S. and some Western countries have long blamed China's Belt and Road Initiative for creating debt traps for many countries. The Biden administration can make use of the laboratory leak as an excuse to make China bear the costs and economic losses of developing countries and cancel their debts. As of the middle of 2020, there were more than 2,600 BRI related projects worth $3.7 trillion, according to The Refinitiv database. 

Strengthening U.S. hegemony in the field of biochemistry and suppress the development of China's biomedical and health industries

The development of businesses of R&D and clinical trials, product testing & compliance, digital health, high-end medical devices and vitro diagnostics in biopharmaceuticals and med-tech sector is taken account as one of the top Ten Priority Sectors highlighted in State Council Plan of the Made in China 2025. By tracing the origin of the virus, the Biden administration can create seemingly rightful restrictions and groundless allegations to suppress the research and development and production of China's bio-pharmaceutical industry, cutting off China long dependent on the United States for bio-pharmaceutical imports. There are signs of possibility that the U.S. would propose putting all of China's bio-pharmaceutical and virology research laboratories under uncalled for and excessive procedures of supervisions governed by other nations’ health entities. Followed by a ready-list of sanctions targets against China's bio-pharmaceutical and virus research institutions, pharmaceutical companies and leading talents in this field to financially “punish” the relevant yet innocent Chinese businesses. Restricting international cooperation between Chinese bio-pharmaceutical and virus research institutions and pharmaceutical enterprises could be an ambitious economic downplaying move made by some countries to strike the Chinese shares in the world health-related industries and to reach its financial sanctions and impairment against the world’s second largest economy.

Source: CGTN

Further smearing attacks on China undermining the international public opinion environment for China's peaceful development

The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation resonates with a health and dynamic international public opinion climate. For more than a century, the Communist Party of China has led the nation to achieve national independence. After 40 years of reform and opening-up, especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, it has brought economic prosperity, social stability, and happiness to the people. China not only has lifted 800 million people out of poverty domestically but also has become the largest trading partner of more than 100 countries around the world. The Belt and Road Initiative has given new impetus to the development of developing countries. The idea of promoting the building of A Community with Shared Future for Mankind has gained widespread international recognition. However, some Western countries, with their powerful media institutions, have continued to smear China, from the China collapse theory and the China threat theory to the  Chinese debt trap, and so on. They have spared no effort to concoct all kinds of rumors to harm China's core interests. The renewed investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic will be a rogue wave of public opinion offensive launched against China.

In response to the above possible situations, we suggest the following countermeasures to regain truth and rebuild justice for the global community:

Adhere to the concept of A Community with Shared Future and positively shape the common narrative of international effort fighting against the virus, At the same time, propose a solution from China to trace the origin of the COVID-19 and build more solid consensus internationally

President Xi strongly advocates building community with shared future Source: Chinadaily.com.cn

After the novel coronavirus was detected at the end of 2019, China was the first to inform the World Health Organization and the global community of the pandemic and took decisive measures to actively fight it, buying valuable time for countries around the world to prevent its spread. However, politicians in the United States and some other countries whose first consideration was not the health and lives of their people. Coupled with biases and misjudgments, the U.S. and other countries were ineffective in fighting the epidemic, causing the global spread of the COVID-19. Meanwhile, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, China took the lead in controlling the epidemic and achieving economic recovery, providing the world with valuable experience in fighting the epidemic. In the face of the catastrophic impact of the pandemic on global public health and economic and social development, China should continue to hold high the banner of A Community with Shared future. In fighting the epidemic together with all peoples of the world, China should reach universal consensus on the COVID-19, calling for active engagement in jointly battling the pandemic and enhancing global public health governance. Furthermore, China should encourage more Chinese scholars to make their voices heard on the international stage, unite with international scientists, scholars, media, and government officials with a sense of justice to promote the idea of A Community with Shared Future and positively shape a common narrative of humans' defeat of the virus.

The Biden administration's order to have the intelligence agencies provided the investigation results of the origin of COVID-19 reminded people of the beginning of the Iraq War when the weapons of mass destruction issue was concocted. And even the public opinions' manipulators are the original team. Many insightful people from the international community have already exposed its sinister intentions. We need more impartial voices that have been heard by the international community and avoid that political manipulation engages in the origin of COVID-19.

Appealling to the international community for placing more than 200 laboratories of biochemistry of the U.S. under supervision of the U.N. Security Council

ZHAO Lijian, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman, has proposed that a thorough investigation on the biological and chemical weapons research laboratories, such as Fort Detrick, of the U.S. is necessarily needed. Apart from those above mentioned, the U.S. has established more than 200 biological military laboratories around the world. What have they been researching for in secret? Is it possible that the COVID-19 was originally leaked from laboratory of the U.S.? Suspicions from the international community grew over the laboratory of biochemistry of the U.S. as well as those unreliable safety records. The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), which is located in the Fort Detrick military base of Maryland, has caused several accidents, such as loss of virulent strain like bacillus anthracis happened in early 1990s, due to its negligence of safety management. Moreover, the laboratory of biochemistry in the Fort Detrick is inextricably linked with the Japanese Army 731, Shiro Ishii, the leader of which, was once the consultant of biological weapon research of the Fort Detrick. The world-widely establishment of bio-military laboratories by the U.S. has been a serious threat to the whole human society. China should appeal for supervision on the whole running process of those laboratories by the UN Security Council.

Promoting communication within countries who signed in the Belt and Road Initiative to strengthen cooperation

As mentioned earlier, in order to counter the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China, the U.S. together with G7 member states recently proposed the initiative of B3W. This “G7 Global Infrastructure Development Plan” involves raising funds of hundreds of billions of dollars from public and private sectors to help poor countries fill $40 trillion infrastructure gap by 2035. G7 claims that this is a “positive alternative”, reflecting its “values, standards, and mode of operation”. Western countries such as the U.S. has been discrediting the Belt and Road Initiative, slandering that it is China caused the situation that developing countries are in such huge debts. The U.S., together with other Western countries, will inevitably step up their offensive against the Belt and Road Initiative since the B3W plan has been proposed. Besides, they will make usage of the so-called investigation into the origin of COVID-19 to incite some countries to claim indemnity from China, through which way they can achieve the purpose of undermining the Belt and Road Initiative. Under such circumstance, it is critical for China to strengthen diplomatic ties, promote communications among enterprises and non-government contact, intensify common benefit and reinforce economic cooperation with countries who signed in the Belt and Road Initiative. 

Strengthening the development and protection of the biological medicine industry in China

The medicine industry is technology-intensive, which has been ranked with biological medicine industry, biomedical engineering industry, etc. as strategic emerging industries that have promoted the innovative development of the medical industry. In view of the current global situation under epidemic, there is a surge in demand for APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient). Considering the key role plays in the global supply chain of APIs, China should focus on the middle and high-end processing and manufacturing field of APIs to help the medicine industry step into middle and high-end level of the global industrial chain by promoting investment in scientific and technological research and development. Increasing support for participating international accreditation, and enhancing training and services for the international accreditation, through which ways the proportion of product from Chinese domestic medicine enterprises which is certified international accreditation could be improved. Strengthening the international policy coordination and communication could promote mutual recognition of both medicine and medicine policies and regulations with international community. Besides, integration of coordinatial regulations should be established to have a say in the drafting and practice of mainstream medicine regulation.  

Since the investigation into the origin of COVID-19, add fuel to the flame, the U.S. mainstream media has changed the lab leak hypothesis from “conspiracy theory” to “sensible view”, and then has become so-called “international consensus”, which obviously has put China at a disadvantage. The process of confrontation with information struggle as a start, economic struggle as backbone, and biochemical hegemony as the end, will be a straight fight for the human society against COVID-19 and political virus to strive for a bright shared future for mankind.