[The Epoch Times, December 20, 2022](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Xu Jian) The CCP’s epidemic prevention policy has suddenly changed, and due to insufficient preparation, the number of cases has surged. Officials and health experts in Europe and the United States are paying attention to the epidemic in mainland China, worried that the lack of medical equipment and vaccines under the CCP’s rule may cause the tragedy of millions of deaths.
Reuters reported that European and U.S. officials are holding cautious behind-the-scenes talks with China, hoping to help China fight the epidemic. However, expert analysis believes that the CCP is unwilling to accept international aid even at the cost of people’s lives, because this is a slap in the face of the CCP’s self-proclaimed “superior system.”
Europe and the United States extend a helping hand to discuss the fight against the epidemic with Beijing in secret
Currently, some U.S. and European officials are trying to figure out how they can help China contain the epidemic while mitigating further damage to the global economy and further deterioration of corporate supply chains.
Last Wednesday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the United States was ready to provide China with assistance in fighting the outbreak, as long as Beijing asked for it. And Kirby mentioned that Beijing has not yet expressed the relevant requirements. “We have indicated that we are ready to provide any form of assistance they deem acceptable.”
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan (Jake Sullivan) said last week that when Washington officials visited Beijing earlier this month in preparation for Secretary of State Blinken’s visit early next year, US officials discussed with Beijing officials how to deal with China’s COVID-19 -19 epidemic problem. But Sullivan did not disclose more detailed information.
“We hope China (the CCP) handles the COVID outbreak correctly,” Blinken said earlier this month. “It’s in the interests of the Chinese people first and foremost, and it’s in the interests of the people of the world.”
Accepting Western Aid is Equal to “Exploding the CCP’s Propaganda”
International health experts said that the medical system prepared in advance, sharing epidemic data, and maintaining transparent communication will help effectively fight the COVID-19 virus, but China under the CCP lacks relevant information.
The CCP government has always insisted that its one-party system is the most suitable for fighting the epidemic, and claims that domestic vaccines are superior, but the international community holds the opposite attitude.
Reuters reported that the West hopes to help contain a health and economic crisis in China, and possibly even globally, in a way that the Chinese government may be willing to accept.
“China’s (CCP’s) vaccine nationalism is closely related to Xi Jinping’s pride. Accepting Western aid will not only embarrass Xi Jinping, but also expose his propaganda—that is, the superiority of the CCP’s governance model.” Defend Democracy Foundation (Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Craig Singleton, deputy director of China programs.
Commentator: Vaccine battle may shake the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party
New York commentator Li Linyi told The Epoch Times, “The CCP will not easily accept any high-tech assistance from the West in the new crown epidemic. The most typical one is Western vaccines. The CCP knows that Western vaccines are more effective than domestic vaccines, but they still don’t It is approved to allow Chinese people to receive foreign vaccines. But sometimes the CCP cannot keep up with masks, medicines, etc., and the CCP is still willing to accept these aids.
“Among them, there is a dispute over the system. The authorities have been advocating that the CCP’s system is superior to the Western system, so once they accept the Western vaccine and the Western idea of anti-epidemic, it will appear that the CCP’s system is inferior to others. This is an impact on the legitimacy of the CCP regime. Therefore, the authorities would rather let the people use inferior vaccines, even if more people die, than let the Chinese people question the legitimacy of the CCP’s governance.
“So looking back at German Chancellor Schulz’s visit to China, the result of Schulz’s negotiations with the CCP is that Germans in China can get overseas vaccines. Although Schulz expressed that Chinese people can choose to fight overseas The desire for a vaccine, but so far there has been no progress. These are actually based on the CCP’s logic of maintaining stability.”
What assistance can the West provide?
According to Reuters, areas where the West may provide assistance include Pfizer’s latest mRNA vaccines, treatments and medicines. Many experts believe that Western mRNA vaccines are more effective than Chinese domestic vaccines.
German Chancellor Scholz also mentioned the vaccine issue when he visited Beijing last month, and Ugur Sahin, CEO of German BioNTech, accompanied him on the visit. For more than two years, BioNTech has been working hard to obtain a license to sell a COVID vaccine in China.
White House COVID response coordinator Ashish Jha told the media, “We stand ready to help any country in the world in terms of vaccines, treatments and other help we can provide.”
U.S. drugmaker Pfizer reached a deal last week to export anti-COVID drug Paxlovid to China through a local company, and said it was working with relevant parties to ensure sufficient supplies.
Expert: CCP’s Ill-Prepared Tragedy Is Inevitable
Due to the raging epidemic, the business of many overseas companies in China has been deeply affected. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell expressed his concern last week. “China faces great challenges in reopening,” Powell said. China’s manufacturing industry Exports and supply chains remain precarious and “in a dangerous situation”.
Some international health experts also expressed despair, thinking that it may be too late for China to avoid a tragedy of the epidemic.
“What would you do if a category 5 hurricane hits in an hour and a half? If you haven’t (prepared) by now, it will be too late.” Michael Oss, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota Michael Osterholm said.
“In the next few weeks, this epidemic will hit (China),” he said. “Unfortunately, they (the CCP) did not consider this six or 10 months ago. They could have fought for themselves Time to put yourself in a better position.”
More than 160 million people in China are believed to have diabetes and 8 million Chinese over the age of 80 are unvaccinated, risk factors for a worsening outbreak, said Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations.
South Korea has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates among major countries, said Jerome Kim, director of the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul. make it happen.
South Korean officials have set up health centers and apps to tell patients how to avoid infecting others, he said. “Has China set up (the same facility)? We don’t know.”
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#