The US intelligence community released a declassified report last week, announcing that it may never be possible to determine the origin of the new crown virus. The report stated that the intelligence community and the global scientific community lacked clinical samples and a complete understanding of the epidemiological data of the earliest cases. It is impossible to determine whether the virus was transmitted from animals to humans or leaked in the laboratory; however, it is certain, It is not a biological weapon; the U.S. intelligence community agrees that the virus outbreak is no later than November 2019 and the location is in Wuhan.
Some analysts claim that China has failed to more fully cooperate with the investigation of the source of the virus and has not provided relevant data on early cases. So, what does the current conclusion of the US’s new crown tracing mean for China?Does China’s resistance to international investigations directly lead to the failure of traceability?
Lin Xiaoxu, a former virology researcher at the Walter Reed Army Research Institute in the United States, believes that if this virus traceability report can provide some indirect evidence for a comprehensive analysis, it may be of more interest.
He said: “Before the report was officially released, the media also reported that this so-called investigation team from the intelligence community had downloaded a large database from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which contained many virus sequences studied by the Wuhan Institute of Virology at the time, etc. At that time, there was a lot of speculation from the outside world. At least you have obtained some research materials that you have not obtained before. If there are other intelligence personnel, such as local people in Wuhan, provide you with some information or satellite imagery systems for you to do some analysis, such as At that time, did Wuhan have any special abnormalities in the autumn and winter of 2019, and do some comprehensive analysis. Of course, I think it will provide some indirect evidence, which will be more interesting.”
Jin Dongyan, a professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the Li Ka-shing School of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, analyzed that providing early case samples and epidemiological data to the international community is the responsibility and obligation of China as the earliest outbreak site.
He said: “The Chinese government is indeed responsible and obliged to provide more assistance to the international community, especially the samples of early patients and epidemiological data, as well as some situations related to this. This is the earliest one. The responsibilities and obligations of the place where the epidemic broke out. It is now evading in this regard due to various reasons, and it has used a lot of other information to point it to Europe and the United States. In fact, from the more serious scientific chain, what is said now Before November 2019, there was evidence of SARS-CoV-2 in Europe in the United States, but there is actually no conclusive evidence. As for the place of the Army Research Institute, we all know in the industry that that place is not done. Coronavirus is a major town of Bunia virus. Coronavirus has never been done. And there is no evidence that this place has anything to do with this epidemic. So China used some relatively low methods. , Including making up what a European scholar said. Such a method can actually only get a counter-effect, and in front of the whole world, in a modern society where information flows, this set of things will not work.”
Lin Xiaoxu, a former virology researcher at the Walter Reed Army Research Institute in the United States, said that the international community’s focus on tracing the source of the new crown virus is also changing as the entire incident develops and more and more new clues are revealed. The source of this is suspicion and dissatisfaction with the Chinese government.
He said: “From the general public’s attention in the international community, it is true that no one wants such an epidemic to happen again. So they all hope to be able to more effectively understand how the epidemic rose, what is the source of the virus, and so on. Investigate the science. In this regard, I will think about it in this way. So I think the original intention of the international community is of course to avoid another outbreak of the epidemic. In this regard, if we can actively understand what happened in Wuhan at that time, what kind of experience and lessons did the international community have? The society can absorb, what potential animal reservoirs may have more dangerous viruses, etc. I think this is the original intention of the international community. However, as more information comes out, the international community pays attention. The point has also begun to change. For example, are these Chinese researchers doing research on very dangerous public controversy. Including the research report that the Wuhan Institute of Virology has applied to the Ministry of National Defense, it is clearly stated that they are going to be in the Bat Cave, Yunnan. Experiments are carried out inside. Are Chinese officials doing these dangerous experiments? In addition, from the perspective of the military, is the Chinese military developing biological and chemical weapons? To what extent are they progressing? I think this is the current international community. Points of concern. So this research report has deviated from the real concerns of many international communities, so its conclusions are ambiguous, and the international community can only do nothing now.”
Jin Dongyan, a professor at the University of Hong Kong School of Medicine, said that compared with the SARS outbreak in 2003, the Chinese government’s handling of the new crown epidemic is very different. This gap has strengthened the international community’s scrutiny of China to a certain extent.
He said: “In 2003 (SARS), the attitude of the Chinese leaders and the punishment of the mayor of Beijing and the Minister of Health of China at that time, followed by a great progress in China’s health and epidemic prevention. And once he did this, he only praised the good (from the perspective), and in the end it became a eulogizing of the good, everything changed from negative to positive, and even many responsible people became great heroes. In this situation, I think it’s hard to avoid other developed Western countries and the world staring at you closely, and will always be entangled with you.”
(Voice of America reporter Yin Xuan also contributed to this article)
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