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CHINA: Expert shares insights

| June 3, 2020 1:00 AM

The excellent letter from Bob Larue provides a good historical context to China and biological weapons.

I recently moved to Coeur d’Alene from Monterey, Calif., where I was the director, East Asia Nonproliferation Project, Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies. To update Bob’s letter, the current academic description is now CBR (Chemical, Biological and Radiological) as opposed to ABC. He correctly describes the dangerous Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as an international outlaw, but in the nonproliferation arena Chinese scholars and bureaucrats (not Party hacks), with whom I have dealt directly, have been relatively responsible. China has also been a responsible party to several other arms control agreements. {Radiological (nuclear) and Chemical}.

As a State, in 1984, China acceded to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). It has not, however, taken the next step of ratification. In 1995, China made a statement to the U.N. summarizing its position on biological weapons:

“China has consistently advocated a complete prohibition and thorough destruction of biological weapons. It opposes the production of biological weapons by any country and their proliferation in any form by any country.”

Because there is always an internal division between the CCP and the scholars/bureaucrats, it is likely that if the release of COVID-19 were deliberate, it will not be long before the truth emerges. However, since the CCP has tightened control under President Xi Jinping, anything is possible. The COVID-19 leak in Wuhan was probably accidental but covered up.

DR. MONTE R. BULLARD

Coeur d’Alene