The Real Reason the West is Condemning China's Zero-Covid Policy

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/predictions-of-supply-chain-chaos-as-shanghai-resumes-shipping

For months the media gave voice to Western governments and health authorities as they decried the social resistance and the lackluster measures being taken to curtail the spread of Covid. The rules and protocols were flouted and the disease was spreading. And yet even during the period of lockdowns, it was apparent there was always a less than fully committed element to Western intervention. From the beginning until the present, the primary concern for many has been economic. Large segments of society have been more than happy for people die in order for profits to be maintained.

For almost two years China was the elephant in the room. Beijing had demonstrated that serious coordinated intervention could curtail the spread of the disease. While the US was busy racking up over 1 million deaths, China with over four times the population has produced a death toll well under 10,000. How is this explained? It demonstrates that Western governments and societies weren't serious about stopping the pandemic. And yet China's success wasn't talked about – that is until the pandemic's acute phase was passed in the West. As Covid waned, then the media turned against China and castigated their continued mitigation efforts as draconian. Apparently, it would have been better to let hundreds of thousands or (if they had been as lax as the United States) millions die in order for profits to be maintained.

And for many Americans the calculus is even more basic – they don't want to be inconvenienced or suffer even a modicum of discomfort and they are more than willing for thousands to die in order for this level of comfort to be maintained. We as Christians need to understand this for what it is – pure evil. And obviously this view represents a significant position within the larger Church – perhaps even a majority.

Over two years into the pandemic the confusion of the public has only been made worse. And fuel is poured on to this fire by not only bureaucratic miscalculations and missteps – we've also witnessed political infighting and counter-measures. But on a greater level the most destructive aspect that has fueled the confusion is the proliferation of stupid and often disingenuous commentaries by political and ecclesiastical actors – often backed by big money donors and sponsors. Cynically evoking failed hopes expressed early on in the pandemic and mocking phrases like 'flattening the curve', they pour scorn on every effort to stop the disease. It's fairly clear the Right's narrative is that everyone has to get it and so any mitigation efforts are a waste of time and in fact immoral as it just prolongs the overall event. Get it and get it over with seems to be their approach. And if you're old, weak, or immunocompromised and subsequently die, then tough luck. They're perfectly willing for thousands (and even hundreds of thousands) to die beyond the current toll. Their values are based on the pursuit of political power, ethics rooted in a system of 'rights', and economic concerns – namely profits.

It is both tragic and frankly obscene that a large majority of professed Christians have embraced such Social Darwinist ethics and utterly abandoned the religion of the New Testament. But generations of Rights-based ethics have done this and Church leaders have abdicated their responsibility to denounce this false system that is contrary to the New Testament.

If the promises of health authorities have failed it's due to various reasons associated with changing conditions, political calculations and sabotage, and the inability to deal with public nonconformity. The nation is already slipping toward civil war and the battle over Covid was quickly turning into the spark that was going to set the powder keg alight. I see no evidence for deliberate deception in the case of Covid or some grand conspiracy related to a Great Reset. I've written elsewhere about these dynamics. I see a government in damage control and desperate to do something – even if at times their attempts have failed. The state and the Establishment that runs it, wants everyone working, consuming, and paying taxes. They never wanted this and sincerely want it to end – though at this point in time, mitigation efforts have been abandoned. Enough people can work that it's worth it to let the weak and the noncompliant die. The pandemic is over and it's time to move on. The mayor of New York, once the epicenter of the pandemic has publically proclaimed this. Higher death tolls are just the new normal – hopefully the infection-variant waves will be far enough apart no one will notice too much. The health care community, and people like school bus drivers, teachers, cashiers, and the like – they're on their own.

Yes, there have been abuses. Some of the language has been calculated – such as Biden's woeful mistake on July 4^th weekend, telling everyone that if vaccinated they could remove their masks. There are many other instances that could be cited. In many cases the failures were not due to deliberate lies or misguided hopes but due to the fact that the public didn't conform and as a consequence the disease had a means to spread and mutate, and as such it continues to generate variants. These variants have now defeated some of the effectiveness of the vaccines. Breakthrough infections occur to be sure but a vaccinated person with a breakthrough case doesn't seem to pass it on very easily to someone else who is vaccinated. Likewise those vaccinated seem to (on an overwhelming basis) have milder symptoms.

So were the vaccines a failure? Were they worthless? Well, they weren't what was initially hoped for and as the situation continues to change they've lost some of their potency but they're still effective and are still saving lives. The degree of vaccine disinformation is staggering. It's also stunning to see how many Christians have openly embraced charlatans and how outright and even pathological lying in pursuit of a political agenda has become the norm and is viewed as acceptable. I tremble for some of these people. They will have to answer for what they've done.

And now over two years into this, the breakthrough variants have hit China and Beijing is suddenly on the back foot. The staggering populations and densities of their cities have left them in a real dilemma. They have tried to stop the spread and if they acquiesce to the disease the death toll will quickly become staggering. Unlike the American Right they know the disease is real and it's not just a cold – as I heard someone recently gripe on Christian radio.

And yet the Western media has now opened up a major propaganda campaign against China and excoriates any kind of Zero-Covid policy. One need not be a fan of Beijing to appreciate the government's attempts to curtail the disease and the awesome task of doing so in cities of that magnitude– and yet it seems the selfishness of Enlightenment man wins out in the end and millions have to die as a result of it.  

But why this vicious attack on China? Is it really because Western media figures are all that concerned with the personal liberties of Chinese citizens? Hardly. On the one hand, it's part of the larger anti-China campaign which is building momentum in light of events in Ukraine – they are not unrelated.

But there's a bigger reason and as always with the Capitalist West – it's economic. Already ailing Western economies are in fear of further trouble if China's shipping and logistics infrastructure faces a fresh round of chaos and derailment due to lockdowns in the port cities. The West is terrified of the already extant shipping and production snarls being amplified or extended another few years. It will only increase the present troubles with inflation and the growing instability of the markets.

And so, China must be demonised. Pressure is being put on Beijing and as the troubles are due to extend throughout the summer and fall – the blame can increasingly be put on China. In the United States, the GOP wants to put all the blame on Biden. It's an electoral tactic and it causes division. And yet the anti-China angle is embraced by the mainstream (including the GOP) as all the forces falling under the aegis of Washington's military leadership wish to demonise China in every way possible.

And frankly China's efforts and somewhat impressive results belie Western claims of success with regard to Covid. The numbers simply do not compare. And so by demonising China and labeling their policies as draconian, the Western public is distracted from the fact that in Europe and America over 3 million people are dead. The West wants to save its economy, and is actually eager to see millions dead in China. The CCP will lose face and have less time, energy, and money to devote to its East Asian policies – allowing the US a chance to catch up and prepare for the coming conflict.

And finally apart from the immediate economic concerns regarding supply chains and inflation there's another looming economic fear. It's only May, but from the standpoint of the business world the preparations necessary for the Christmas season are here or just around the corner. A 'bad' Christmas in the retail world amplified by inflation and supply shortages will spell doom for the US economy. If the Chinese have to die in order to fill the shelves of the US retail sector it's a price Western Capitalism is perfectly willing to extract. And all those who profit from this system, those invested in the markets – will once more have blood on their hands.