"There are people who are saying that these virus are coming from some- some military lab, not of China, maybe in the United States. How can we believe all these crazy things?"
Yesterday he repeated:
"That's my position then and that's my position now."
The claim that the US Army propagated the virus in Wuhan was openly espoused by the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Lijian, so Cui's public disavowal may signal a split within the regime.
It's been clear for some time now that the Xi regime in China has been seeking to develop a narrative--probably more for domestic consumption than with any hope of influencing world opinion--that would shift blame for the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic from China to "foreigners."
The claim that China has--against all odds--eradicated the virus from China and is now being reinfected by "foreigners" is almost certainly part of a coordinated propaganda campaign. It's purpose is to prepare the Chinese people for fresh outbreaks of the virus that experts such as Michael Osterholm regard as inevitable, whole deflecting blame from the regime to "foreigners." It's has all the signs of a survival strategy, born of a sense of desperation.
In that context, Cui's reaffirmation of his position may signal a recognition by elements within the PRC regime that the irresponsible attempt to accuse the US of having launched a full scale, potentially genocidal, biowarfare campaign against China risks unpredictable consequences. Cui made it clear that he is the official voice of the Chinese government in the US.
It's damage control, because Trump is directly confronting the attempted false narrative, by labeling it made in China with his bully pulpit and the megaphone the US President has.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that it's mostly aimed at a Chinese domestic audience, but in this day it's not so easy to target messaging that narrowly.
DeleteWith all the conspiracy theories, just go read Unz reviews on the origin of the virus, the hatred of anything US by many European countries, and the need to help China's image abroad, it was more than just China's domestic audience.
DeleteChina, and their enablers, are applying Joseph Goebel's thought "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."
What China is not used to, is a US President directly confronting their lies, instead of ignoring it, acting Presidential, as Bush did with Katrina.
Unz Review is a big place--any specific items?
DeleteYou can understand why China would expect to get its way--they've had pretty much a free ride for several decades now, no accountability for any of their bad behavior. They've played their hand well, but Trump is calling them out now.