[Text/Observer Network Wang Kaiwen] The US independent news website "Gray Area" published an article on April 20, exposing how conservative media and the US government "sang one harmony" and concocted the conspiracy theory that "the new crown virus comes from the Wuhan Institute of Virology". On April 25, Gray Zone released a video interview with Ajit Singh, one of the article's authors.
"The United States is demonizing China in the covid-19 crisis with the familiar 'Russiagate' script: specious claims, panic-mongering, and shirking responsibility for its own dysfunction." In the interview, Singer refuted the false news of smearing China as "covering up the epidemic" and "sowing drugs in the laboratory", and pointed out that it is very dangerous for the United States to incite anti-China sentiment in this way.
Screenshot of the report
At the beginning of the interview, Singer said: "I think the anti-China sentiment of the US government and the media has escalated significantly. He pointed out that the U.S. criticism of China has shifted from "too harsh" quarantine measures at the beginning of the outbreak to the current "China has not done enough, China has maliciously covered up the outbreak of the virus, and should be responsible for the troubles faced by the United States and other regions."
He said it appeared to be a campaign "coordinated" by the U.S. government. This can be seen in a March 21 report in the Daily Beast, which quoted the white house as saying that the White House demanded that multiple federal agencies "unify their voices" and unanimously "throw the pot" at China.
"The two parties in the United States are united around this anti-China issue ... Portray yourself as the strongest anti-China political force. This is a dangerous situation, Singh said, and at the international level, it could create a fierce confrontation between the two most powerful countries in the world; for the United States, it will give both parties and political institutions the courage to avoid or downplay the anger that ordinary Americans really deserve, that is, anger at the American capitalist system and the systematic failure of the U.S. government.
"It allows them to downplay this and [get the people] to shift their anger to a so-called 'foreign boogeyman,' which is very similar to the 'Russiagate' rhetoric since 2016." Singer said.
Akite Singer (right) and moderator Aaron Matt
In response to the MISC report that China and the WHO "deliberately concealed human-to-human transmission", Singer refuted that the WHO tweeted on January 14 that there was "no evidence of human-to-human transmission" instead of saying "there will be no human-to-human transmission". In the early stage of the epidemic, the new crown virus was still a mysterious new virus, with only a few dozen confirmed cases, so it was difficult to see that there was a suspicion of misleading. On the other hand, China also began to inform the United States of the epidemic as early as January 3.
When talking about the rumor that the so-called "new crown virus originated in Chinese laboratories", Singer pointed out that when this argument was put forward in early January, it was completely rejected by the scientific community, and the mainstream media in the United States also believed that it was a ridiculous conspiracy theory.
In response to the Washington Post's recent article to highlight the relevant conspiracy theories, Singer pointed out that josh Rogin, the author of the article, did not communicate with any medical experts or biologists, but instead relied on the "hints" of anonymous trump administration officials and his so-called "scientists" statement. In fact, the "scientist" in Rogin's mouth is an anti-China activist who has been funded by the U.S. government and the National Endowment for Democracy for many years, and does not have relevant knowledge in this field.
"This is not a true scientific article, it's largely a 'weapons of mass destruction' conspiracy theory that seeks to incite hostility toward China." Singer said.
Moderator Aaron Maté mentioned that in December 2019, the U.S. Congressional Research Service released a report saying that Trump's national security strategy shifted from fighting terrorism to competing with the great powers of China and Russia. In this regard, Singer pointed out that this phenomenon is not just emerging, but a long-term cooperation strategy between the two parties in the United States, at least dating back to the Obama administration. Under Trump, this trend has escalated.
Singh further said that both parties in the United States have seized on the current epidemic crisis to advance an existing agenda, that is, they will launch a "new Cold War" against China and launch a major power confrontation.
As for the conspiracy theories that simply don't stand up, he pointedly pointed out: "As long as it is useful for U.S. foreign policy or the U.S. agenda, the standard of any claim to China will be very low." As we have seen in Rockin or previous reports... Such standards will never be accepted for the United States or its allies. ”
Singer argues that inciting such anti-China sentiment is dangerous for ordinary American office workers and enterprising people because it fuels right-wing forces and racism.
He noted that Trump has tried to blame a "foreign enemy" for his administration's disastrous failure, but that the Biden camp and The Democratic establishment are also using the pandemic to blunt criticism of them. "This is definitely, almost certainly a failed strategy... I think it's very important for Americans to resist this completely exaggerated, dishonest description of China, because it's likely to be used against themselves as well. ”
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