As our country deals with the coronavirus, we cannot start pointing fingers at our own. To tackle this pandemic and truly help Americans affected, we must recognize the real threat — China.
After we get through this crisis, there will be time to reflect on and reconsider the trust we have placed in China. Its authoritarian regime has not only been an irresponsible actor in terms of public health but is also proving unreliable as a long-term economic partner.
The Chinese government knew about the severity of the coronavirus months before it let the rest of the world in on the secret.
The first patient was diagnosed in Wuhan, China, in November 2019, China then went to extreme lengths to cover up the spread of the disease. The government destroyed lab research samples, shut down facilities, denied the virus could spread between people, and refused to let the World Health Organization in to investigate. China even arrested and jailed the doctor, Li Wenliang, who first sounded the alarm and later died treating initial victims of the coronavirus.
The Chinese government actively prevented Chinese medical professionals from taking action. The government was more concerned with preserving its image — with covering up the origins of the virus and allowing millions of travelers to leave Wuhan without any medical screenings.
Now, looking for someone to blame, Chinese government officials are coordinating a full-on disinformation campaign to cover up their mess. They have even tried to pin the blame on the United States for their misdeeds. The authoritarian regime has deployed the full force of its Wu Mao “internet army” to attack the U.S. government’s response, expel U.S. journalists from China, and even denounce the name of the virus itself.
Inside China, state-controlled media is telling the public that “President Trump went to China and released vials of COVID-19 on groups of unsuspecting men, women, and children,” according to a recent Fox News report.
China has a twin goal here — to save face on the international stage and to discredit the U.S. at every turn. At best, it is irresponsible; at worst it is completely insidious, allowing hundreds of thousands to suffer and die to promote a nationalist agenda. As coronavirus sweeps the globe, China must be held responsible.
If China had acted transparently and taken responsibility for this crisis early on, we could have controlled the spread of the disease. According to a study by the University of Southampton, if Chinese authorities would have acted even three weeks earlier than they did, the number of coronavirus cases could have been reduced by 95%, and its geographic spread would have been severely limited.
As the rest of the world is left to combat the virus, China’s bad acts are escalating. China is now threatening to withhold needed medical supplies and pharmaceuticals to the U.S. The FDA estimates that at least 80% of active ingredients found in all medicines in the U.S. come from abroad, overwhelmingly from China.
Let me be clear: This present crisis reveals that America’s reliance on China to meet basic needs threatens not only our short-term public health but also long-term economic security.
“Imagine if China turned off that spigot,” said Rosemary Gibson, author of China RX: The Risks of America’s Dependence on China for Medicine. “China’s aim is to become the global pharmacy to the world — it says that. It wants to disrupt, to dominate, and displace American and other Western companies.”
Thankfully, Trump is skeptical of China’s increasing dominance and has worked to combat China’s unfair trade practices. U.S. supply chains have started moving away from the communist regime to other countries at the risk of facing tariffs. This is a good start, but Congress needs to take a strong stand against China’s nefarious efforts. That starts by rebuilding our nation’s capacity to deliver needed products and services without relying on foreign powers that wish to supersede us.
This has been a wake-up call for the nation. Relying on unfriendly nations hinders our ability to respond in a crisis. Moving forward, we must take steps to reduce our dependence on China and prioritize the American people today, tomorrow, and forever.
Ken Buck, a Republican, represents Colorado’s fourth congressional district in the U.S. House.
