By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, May 11: A document obtained by the US State Department, allegedly written by Chinese scientists and health officials, before the pandemic in 2015 stated that the SARS coronaviruses were a “new era of genetic weapons” that could be “artificially manipulated into an emerging human disease virus”, reported by The Australian.
The paper titled ‘The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapons’ suggested that ‘World War III’ would be fought with biological weapons, and discussed the possibility five years before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Executive Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), Peter Jennings, said that the document is as close to a “smoking gun”. “I think this is significant because it clearly shows that Chinese scientists were thinking about military application for different strains of the coronavirus and thinking about how it could be deployed,” Jennings said.
The expert also remarked that the document might explain why China has been so reluctant for outside investigators into the origins of COVID-19. “It begins to firm up the possibility that what we have here is the accidental release of a pathogen for military use. If this was a case of transmission from a wet market it would be in China’s interest to co-operate … we’ve had the opposite of that,” he further added.
UK MP Tom Tugendhat and Australian politician James Paterson said the document raises major concerns about China’s transparency on the origins of COVID-19. Also the Chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tugendhat commented on the leaked document, “China’s evident interest in bioweapons is extremely concerning. Even under the tightest controls these weapons are dangerous. This document raises major concerns about the ambitions of some of those who advise the top party leadership.”
Another cyber security expert Robert Potter analyzed the leaked Chinese government document and confirmed that it isn’t fake, “We reached a high confidence conclusion that it was genuine … It’s not fake but it’s up to someone else to interpret how serious it is.”
US officials allegedly obtained the papers which were written by military scientists and senior Chinese public health officials in 2015 as part of their own investigation into the origins of COVID-19. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, several of which cause respiratory diseases in humans, ranging from common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The PLA papers referenced seem to be discussing the onset of a bioweapon attack that could cause the “enemy’s medical system to collapse”.
Chinese involved can’t be paid to defect? Rather the problem may be even if they do defect there is no guarantee of safety?