Biden’s order to investigate the origins of the coronavirus: experts and politicians have decided to go all the way

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chairman of the Seimas Defense and National Security Committee (NSGC), and Professor Saulius Čaplinskas, a specialist in communicable diseases, spoke about it on the Delfi program.

The program recalled that former US President Donald Trump spoke for the first time about the possible laboratory origins of COVID-19.

“Failing to call it a Chinese virus at one point, he later deviated from that term. In fact, even then there were many doubts about how everything happened, because it was obvious that the information was not provided to the World Health Organization (WHO) according to the rules that have been established, and the rules can be equated to a certain international standard. agreement, ”said L. Kasčiūnas.

He said more information emerged throughout the pandemic that allowed Biden to decide to verify the version of the lab virus by entrusting the task to intelligence.

“Even if we stick to the theory of animal origin, which passed from one animal to another, let’s not forget other very important aspects. In any case, China did not provide information – (…) when the Uhane virus was already raging, when it was already transmitted from person to person, at that time China denied all this and had not informed the world. Two months later, the virus was also reported to have spread very strongly among doctors. This already shows that the rules of the WHO have been violated and this opens the possibility of interpretation also in the International Court of Justice ”, emphasized the president of the Seimas NSGK.

However, he recalled that for interpretation in that court, China should decide to be the defendant, which the country is unlikely to do.

“But there may be some separate lawsuits. What will be important to prove is not only the concealment of information, but the confinement of the whole of China as a state: it was not individuals who did it, but China as a state. Given the type of his totalitarian regime, this is unbelievable for anyone and could be a reality. The issue will continue and we will see certain political actions, ”said L. Kasčiūnas.

For almost a year, a group of WHO experts was not admitted to Wuhan. This, according to the MP, could also have contributed to Biden’s decision.

“It has also happened that a WHO report has now been published in cooperation with Chinese experts; there is a lack of sincerity in that report, and American specialists, experts and politicians have apparently decided to go all the way and do it.” Inevitably, this will have legal and political consequences sooner, ”said the head of NSGK.

When asked how such a move by the US president could affect the already complicated Sino-US relations, L. Kasčiūnas recalled that former head of state D. Trump had started talking about trade wars and in fact challenged China.

“Even the Democrats who didn’t like and still don’t like Trump were with him on this issue. “China’s power factor and its suppression of power is a unifying factor at the American political level, and Biden does not back down,” the politician emphasized.

Therefore, according to the Seimas member, the strict US policy towards China will continue, not only because of the coronavirus, but also because of other problematic aspects, such as the human rights policy, the Uighur genocide, the situation in Tibet or the pressure. in Taiwan.

However, L. Kasčiūnas said that he did not believe this could escalate into a serious military conflict between the United States and China.

“Applying the sanctions that we impose on the Russian Federation for one thing or another can be difficult here, as China could surpass the United States in 2030 in terms of total world GDP, or at least come very close,” said the NSGK president. .

However, he stressed that the United States, along with the rest of the Western world, will most likely continue to work to reduce its dependence on China in various areas.

“It just came to our notice then. I would like to say that two weeks ago we passed a very serious law that basically eliminates Chinese companies from participating in the implementation of 5G communication in the Republic of Lithuania. I think this is a great example.” , said L. Kasčiūnas.

The politician also recalled other Lithuanian initiatives that reduce China’s influence or condemn anti-democratic actions.

“It just came to our attention then. The United States is committed to ensuring Taiwan’s security, and those guarantees are increasing: the Chinese are trying to provoke and ignite tensions. I think there will be a hotspot to watch out for (…), but I think that competition and competition will move to reduce China’s influence in the Western world, whether in technology or infrastructure, “said the politician.

Chaplinsk doubts that an answer will be found: there is everything in nature, you just have to find it

Speaking in the second part of the program, Professor S. Čaplinskas noted that earlier there was speculation about the origin of the COVID-19 virus.

“One fact that is beyond doubt is that practically all the world’s experts agree: that human activity has contributed to the origin and spread of this virus,” he said.

According to him, the penetration of wildlife is widespread in China: in the same Wuhan market there are snakes, conifers, bats and people close to each other. This is not the case in nature, S. Čaplinskas stressed.

“It could have allowed the virus to jump the species barrier. On the other hand, another possible theory is that there could have been some manipulation in the Wuhan laboratory, ”the specialist continued.

S. Čaplinskas recalled that there were scientists who spoke earlier about the viruses that could be created in Uhan’s laboratory. However, according to him, although it is possible to create a virus artificially, nature itself has even greater resources for the appearance of various infections.

“15 to 30 percent. Colds in Lithuania are caused by other coronaviruses. The opportunities that exist. On the other hand, nature has inexhaustible laboratory resources. As another friend of mine, a scientist from South Africa, said:” No you have to create nothing, there is so much in nature, you just have to find it. ”Basically, the experts of the world seem to be divided into two camps.

I will repeat that there is no doubt that, in any case, people have contributed to the appearance of this virus. It’s just a question of how, ”said the communicable disease expert.

The professor also considered that the theory of the laboratory origin of the virus could also have arisen due to the properties of COVID-19. According to S. Čaplinskas, the coronavirus has the properties of other coronaviruses in addition to HIV.

“It affects the immune system on the one hand and the blood vessels on the other. You never know what kind of person and how this disease can develop. Many people, about 81 percent. Will get sick easily, they may not need help. But those who become seriously ill, about 10 percent, end up in hospitals without surviving. Of those who fall into the intensive care unit, modern medicine may not save every second, “the professor recalled.

As a result, said S. Čaplinskas, when the danger of this infection was noticed, unprecedented decisions were made to prevent the virus.

Speaking about the evaluations of some commenters equating COVID-19 with a bioweapon, S. Čaplinskas noted that such speculation existed in the past, for example when HIV began to spread.

“Serious scientists have never talked about it. Now it is very important to understand the origin of the virus looking to the future to be able to predict and prevent future pandemics, and scientists do not really doubt that they will occur,” emphasized the expert.

However, he said he believed that even after the US intelligence investigation, it would remain speculation about where the coronavirus actually came from.

“I predict that despite research and great capabilities, all questions will hardly be answered and will remain speculative,” Čaplinskas added.