The deadly novel coronavirus has affected 170 countries and territories. Nations are fighting the crisis on a war footing. Countermeasures being taken are that of a biological war. Coronavirus pandemic is, beyond reasonable doubt, an outcome of criminal negligence on the part of Chinese authorities. The war-like devastation caused by Coronavirus calls for the complicity of Chinese leadership to be dealt with like war crimes.
Going by the conventionally understood rules governing warfare i.e. the principles of 바카라Jus Ad Bellum바카라; right authority, right intention, reasonable hope, proportionality, and last resort; this may raise doubts for its justification as a 바카라classic case of war바카라. But ironically, it was Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui of China바카라s People바카라s Liberation Army who, two decades ago, grandly announced, 바카라the first rule of unrestricted warfare is that there are no rules, with nothing forbidden."
Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, in their book titled 바카라Unrestricted Warfare,바카라 published in February 1999, cited several instances of non-conventional attacks, to state that 바카라[Warfare] has only re-invaded human society in a more complex, more extensive, more concealed, and more subtle manner.바카라 This has inspired new paradigms of conflict.
It is significant that through the last decade, China has been focusing on biological warfare and integration of biotechnology with information technology in their military doctrine. It has been actively embedding, even sponsoring its people, in academic institutions in the West to gain access to high-end technology.
Pointing towards possible preparation for biological war, Dany Shoham, an Israeli Senior Researcher, in a recent article published by IDSA, Delhi, highlights that in July 2019, a group of Chinese virologists were forcibly sent off from the Canadian National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, for illegally shipping two exceptionally virulent viruses 바카라 Ebola and Nipah to China. According to him, the 바카라main culprit for the breech바카라, was Dr Xiangguo Qiu, an outstanding Chinese scientist, who was heading a section of the Special Pathogens Programme at Canadian National Microbiology Laboratory. Dr Xiangguo Qiu had many Chinese students in her research team in Canada, from a range of Chinese scientific facilities, four of which were regarded to be part of the Chinese biological weapons programme. Interestingly, China was funding eleven programmes for research work at Canadian National Microbiology Laboratory, under the leadership of Dr Xiangguo Qiu.
Indicating that the Coronavirus may have leaked from a lab, the points to the release of a new directive by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, titled: 바카라Instructions on strengthening biosecurity management in microbiology labs that handle advanced viruses like the novel coronavirus.바카라
Authorities in China most likely knew of the devastating potential of COVID-19 and attempted to conceal facts. According to reports, 바카라the first case confirmed to be COVID-19 infection was on December 8, 2019. However, doctors in Wuhan, and throughout China, were ordered 바카라not to disclose any information about the disease to the public.바카라 It is only after the first case of Coronavirus in Japan on January 15, 2020 raised possibility of human-to-human transmission, and videos of people dropping dead on Wuhan streets went viral, that Chinese authorities admitted to human-to-human transmission of the virus on January 23.
Highlighting the negligence, Katsuji Nakazawa, Senior Staff writer for Nikkei, Japan in his report dated March 19 states, 바카라the Chinese government locked down Wuhan on Jan 23, halting all public transportation going in and out of the city. The following day an order was issued suspending group travel within China. But in a blunder that would have far reaching consequences, China did not issue an order suspending group travel to foreign countries until three days later.바카라
According to a report published byon 22 March, 바카라at least 175,000 people left Wuhan on 1 January 2020. The departures from Wuhan accelerated over the next three weeks. About 7 million people left in January, before travel was restricted.바카라 The New York Times researchers believe, 바카라about 85 percent of infected travellers went undetected. But they were still contagious. [By the time] Wuhan was placed under a lockdown and airlines started cancelling flights바카라 outbreaks were already growing in over 30 cities across 26 countries, most carried by travellers from Wuhan.바카라
Having caused havoc across the World, China has embarked on a massive propaganda drive now, to tell its own people, and people the World over, on how effective China바카라s countermeasures have been. It has also gained a head-start in the post-corona recovery.
The Coronavirus pandemic raises serious questions about China바카라s conduct. First, is China바카라s active engagement in developing biological agents capable of mass destruction? Second, why was critical information concealed for so long? Third, why were millions of travellers from infected Wuhan allowed to travel across the World and other cities in China, propagating the disease? Fourth, shouldn바카라t there be accountability by China, commensurate with devastation caused? And fifth, ought not 바카라unrestricted warfare바카라, be brought in the purview of international rules?
China must acknowledge its mistakes and offer to pay compensation for those who have died and bear medical expenses of others. It is in China바카라s interest to do so, to regain the trust of the international community.
In case China continues to obfuscate the issue and seek to profit from the catastrophe, there must, at the very least, be outright international condemnation of China for concealing information from its own people and the rest of the world. The international community must unite to ensure China doesn바카라t take undue advantage of the weakened dispositions of other countries affected by the pandemic. In the medium to long term, supply chains involving China must be reworked. China바카라s attempt to realign globalisation to be at the centre, with its 바카라One Belt One Road바카라 initiative, must be checked. This crisis has also raised doubts on the vigilance and effectiveness of the World Health Organization (WHO), which is expected to be at the vanguard. Cautious counsel may also argue that any attempts to impose the UN sanctions will be vetoed by China. However, this crisis is an opportunity for international bodies to revive the trust in them. If the Security Council fails, the General Assembly should come together to take appropriate action.
(The author is Member, National Security Advisory Board, and former Deputy Chief of Army Staff and Kashmir Corps Commander. Views expressed are personal.)
