The Covid-19 madness could have been prevented by China just acting, morally, or even quicker:
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2020/03/covid-19-china.page
https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/505373-wuhan-is-the-final-straw-the-world-needs-to-divest-from
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2020/03/covid-19-china.page
“The global influence of the Chinese Communist Party both economically and militarily is one of the most concerning stories so far in the 21st century. Despite years of human rights abuses, currency manipulation, dishonest trade practices, and threats to democracy, the Chinese communist government has been able to grow its economy and influence throughout the world at a breathtaking pace. The current COVID-19 pandemic, and the global economic upheaval it has created, has exposed China as the reckless, dishonest member of the global community that many of us knew them to be. The outbreak in Wuhan and the communist government’s efforts to keep this quiet have led to a global catastrophe. National security advisor Robert O’Brien suggested that this cover up delayed the global response to COVID-19 by two months while the Chinese government allowed its own people to continue traveling to Wuhan and abroad, infecting the world. A study from Southampton University in England found that if China had acted sooner, the damage could have been mitigated by 95 percent. This is staggering when looking at the lives lost and the economic turmoil created. Instead of alerting the world, the Chinese government silenced its doctors, forbidding them from sharing information which could have spared so many lives. This negligence is compounded by the fact that China either failed or refused to follow the rules imposed by the World Health Organization following an outbreak of SARS in 2003 - the last time China gifted us with a global pandemic.
Unfortunately, the European Union has so far demonstrated apprehension in seeking justice on behalf of the nations it represents. Reports of EU officials at the behest of the Chinese government editing out damaging information on the Chinese coverup are disturbing, but not surprising. A New York Times piece quotes an EU analyst noting that her bosses were “self-censoring to appease the Chinese Communist Party.” Chinese efforts like this to suppress the truth and shift blame to other nations like the United States is a classic page from their rhetorical playbook. Whether it be human rights abuses, dishonest trade practices, or other bad behavior, Beijing continually deflects criticism and refuses to accept responsibility for their behavior. Although it may be difficult to identify positives from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is plausible to suggest a global awakening to China’s insidious behavior is underway. It is now time for the global community to begin divesting in the China relationship. This is the only thing that will pressure China to operate honestly and abide by the same rules the rest of the world operates by.”
Nevertheless, China continues its drive of economic imperialism, via a debt trap that nations are falling into, such as is occurring right across Africa:
https://anewspost.com/chinese-debt-trap-taking-over/
“Over the years, China has poured billions of dollars into overseas projects, helping to lift the economies of many nations across the globe, including South Africa, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and many others. The loans gave these countries the economic boost that they needed to become more significant players on the global stage, however, these countries have all seen economic hardships when it came time to pay back the money, because the conditions of the loan are very strict. When China loans money to a country and they are unable to pay, which happens often, the country must then give up a large stake in its economic infrastructure, including ports and trade routes. This strategy of conquest is popularly known as “debt trap diplomacy” According to Wikipedia, “Debt trap diplomacy involves one creditor country intentionally extending excessive credit to another debtor country with the alleged intention of extracting economic or political concessions from the debtor country when it becomes unable to honor its debt obligations (often asset-based lending, with assets including infrastructure). The conditions of the loans are often not made public and the loaned money is typically used to pay contractors from the creditor country.”
A popular media commentator Nas Daily posted a video where he detailed the China debt trap and shared experiences from his travels around the world. “This is a sensitive topic, but it’s one I’ve wanted to show you for a while. After traveling the world for 3 years, I think I saw more Chinese construction people than local ones in many countries,” Nas said in his video. One of the most glaring examples of China’s debt trap is the case of Sri Lanka. China gave a loan to the Sri Lankan government through the Exim Bank of China to build the Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport. The state owned Chinese firms, China Harbour Engineering Company, and Sinohydro Corporation were hired to build the Magampura Port. The port cost $361 million to build, and 85% of the construction was paid for by China’s state-owned Bank at an annual interest rate of 6.3%. However, in 2017, Sri Lanka was unable to repay the massive debt, so the new infrastructure projects were was leased to the China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited, a China state owned company. Through the deal, China was able to take over the infrastructure projects on a 99-year lease.”
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=2154074531573487
It is a trap that Australia has to some degree, but not as far yet as Africa, fallen into, foolishly allowing the lease of the strategic Port Darwin as well as flogging off prime farmland. We will deeply regret this, if we live.
https://www.tweeddailynews.com.au/news/china-almost-has-australia-surrounded-but-its-debt/3533300/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-05/push-to-nationalise-darwin-port/11382422
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3940154