Blaming China

In an attempt to find a scapegoat for the failures of the US health system, American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other right-wing politicians of the country have pointed their guns towards China.

In a recent statement, Pompeo claimed to have “enormous evidence” that the virus emanated from China. His boss Donald Trump made similar claims, asserting that there are substantial pieces of evidence about which he “can’t talk about”. Vice President Mike Pence told the media that he has no reason to doubt that the Communist Party of China deliberately spread the virus. Interestingly such claims contradict the findings of US intelligence reports that say the virus was not man-made. But it seems that the American politicians have decided to target China to cover their failures in dealing with the pandemic.

Beijing may have toned down the scale of the outbreak or under-reported the cases in the beginning but this is what many states have done. The UK and India have been accused of under-reporting the cases but no American official held them responsible for the spread. It seems that because of the sheer incompetence of American administration, Trump has been unable to arrest the spread of the virus. His critics claim that negligence on the part of Trump’s administration cost more than 80,000 American lives and millions may suffer because of his imprudent response to the pandemic.

This all seems to be delaying the complete functioning of the economy, which could hurt Trump’s popularity. The president seems to have this strange idea that China does not want him to be re-elected in the next presidential elections because of his aggressive economic policies. Even after instructions from the WHO, he kept describing the outbreak as “China virus” or “Wuhan virus”. The Trump administration seems to have made a concerted effort to target Beijing over this issue. There are reports that even US intelligence agencies are under pressure to link the virus with the rising economic giant. Interestingly when people demanded proof for such claims, the incumbent of the Oval office came up with none, saying “people from the intelligence agencies will find out (a link to China)”.

If any country is in a position to master the art of making all types of arms, including the biological ones, then it does not lie in the East but rather in the West. Historically it was the Western countries that were capable of laying their hands on such weapons. The research of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch proved that microorganisms could cause diseases in humans and animals. That research was later on used to develop biological weapons to sabotage enemies. Ironically, China has been a victim of such an attack in the past. For instance, Japan during its invasion of China is said to have infected water supplies and rice fields. At the end of the war, the US offered freedom to those war criminals who were willing to share biological research with them. During the 1940s, the White House pooled in some $60 million in a biological warfare programme.

Many critics blame the US for carrying out experiments and using such lethal weapons in the past. For instance, in 1951-52, the United State carried out Operation Dew, in which biological agents were released on citizens via air. The agent can damage kidneys, bones, respiratory tract, etc. In 1955, Operation Big Buzz was a success when 300,000 mosquitoes were dispersed over the state of Georgia.

The US is also perhaps the only country that carried out a drill to counter such an attack. In June 2001, Operation Dark Winter was carried out which was a simulation of a biological attack on the United States. After the operation, it was concluded that the US healthcare system cannot handle any such emergency.

This should have prompted American policymakers to improve the country’s health system but despite spending $11000 on one American on average, the system is unable to benefit ordinary citizens. It is rather the greedy corporations and insurance companies that are making tons of money in the name of serving patients. This pandemic should make Americans question why they suffer despite spending trillions of dollars on health. According to a report of the CommonWealth Fund, the US spends more on healthcare as a share of the economy – nearly twice as much as the average OECD country – yet has the lowest life expectancy and highest suicide rates.

The report further says, “The US has the highest chronic disease burden and an obesity rate that is two times higher than the OECD average. Americans had fewer physician visits than peers in most countries, which may be related to a low supply of physicians in the US. Americans use some expensive technologies, such as MRIs, and specialized procedures, such as hip replacements, more often than our peers.

“The US outperforms its peers in terms of preventive measures – it has one of the highest rates of breast cancer screening among women ages 50 to 69 and the second-highest rate (after the U.K.) of flu vaccinations among people age 65 and older. Compared to peer nations, the US has among the highest number of hospitalizations from preventable causes and the highest rate of avoidable deaths.”

Instead of blaming China, Washington should account for the greedy companies that prefer profit over human welfare. It is these companies and the non-serious attitude of the Trump administration that should be blamed for the spread of the virus and the loss of innocent lives. But instead of any retrospection, Washington plans to charge Beijing for the coronavirus damages, and the “China owes us” chants are getting louder.

It is unfortunate that Trump’s anti-China rhetoric is attracting support from some Western circles. Such moves will not be helpful in battling the outbreak. The US and the West should make coordinated efforts with China and the WHO to tide over the global health crisis. Blame game will serve neither Americans nor the world.

The writer is a freelance contributor.

Email: sfahad9064@gmail.com