by Curtis Ellis
The virus that originated in Wuhan, China poses a double threat to America.
The first is to our health as the virus spreads through the U.S. population. The second is to our economy as more businesses, schools, and events shut down to slow the spread of the contagion.
We must not underestimate the economic threat because the Chinese Communist Party is using the pandemic to achieve its goal of supplanting the United States as the world’s leading economic, diplomatic, and military power.
Sounds unbelievable?
A new report from Horizon Advisory consultants details Beijing’s post-virus strategy—already operational—to leverage the pandemic to seize global market share in key industries, further global dependence on Chinese manufacturing, and reverse efforts in the United States and elsewhere to decouple from the People’s Republic.
“Beijing intends to use the global dislocation and downturn to attract foreign investment, to seize strategic market share and resources—especially those that force dependence, and to proliferate global information systems; to as Chinese sources put it, ‘leap-frog’ industrially, ‘overtake around the corner’ strategically, capture the ‘commanding heights’ globally. Beijing intends to reverse recent U.S. efforts to counteract China’s subversive international presence; at the same time to chip away at U.S.-Europe relations. In other words, Beijing will use COVID-19 to accelerate its long-standing, strategic offensive,” the Horizon report states.
We’re witnessing Beijing’s attempt to scrub its culpability for the pandemic from the world’s memory. Chinese Communist propagandists declare, “China is owed a thank you for buying the world time” and the New York Times dutifully repeats it.
After covering up the novel infection and unleashing it on the world, Beijing’s rulers bought up the world’s supply of protective gear and respirators.
Then they sell these critical goods to Italy while portraying themselves as the heroic humanitarian savior of the world, not unlike a pyromaniac who takes credit for calling the fire department.
Now, as China’s factories come back online at the same time the West’s economies shut down, Beijing sees further opportunity to extend its soft power and tighten its grip on global supply chains.
Don’t take my word for it. Authoritative policymakers and leading players in China’s government-industrial system have told us.
The Horizon Advisory report draws on their writings and statements.
On March 12, Song Zhiping, representative to the 15th Party Congress, former party committee secretary, and chairman of the state-owned China National Building Materials Group Corporation declared:
China will “turn crisis into opportunity: It will transform and upgrade and strengthen its position in the international industry chain.” Chinese enterprises “must not just resume production. They must also boost economic development and exposure to the world in order to speed up the adjustment of the industrial structure, to enhance competitiveness in the international industrial chain, and to build an advance strategic positioning.”
That comes directly from the Horizon report.
The CCP Central Committee identifies industries to “seize in the adjustment of the international industrial chain while fighting the epidemic and resuming production.” These include 5G construction, urban high-speed rails, urban rail transit, new energy vehicles, big data in infrastructure, artificial intelligence, automobiles, electronics, ships, aviation, power equipment, and machine tools.
Han Jian of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ China Industrial Economics Association put it more succinctly on March 4: “It is possible to turn the crisis into an opportunity—to increase the trust and the dependence of all countries around the world of ‘Made in China.’”
The Chengdu municipal government echoed the party line on March 5, calling on enterprises and individuals:
to focus on turning crisis into opportunity: Make full use of the important window after the epidemic and focus on the strategic opportunities such as the new technological revolution it will bring about, the new international market demand, and the shortcomings of supply which will need to be filled . . . Deeply integrate into the global supply chain system in the fields of biomedicine, electronic information, intelligent manufacturing, and agricultural products.
Beijing’s post-pandemic plan and the industries mentioned above are in line with its longstanding “Made in China 2025” strategy for global dominance of crucial industries.
Moreover, Beijing sees an opportunity in the pandemic to reverse President Trump’s call to move manufacturing out of China.
In a report on the economic effects of the Wuhan virus, China’s State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), stated: “China will get more opportunities, including in the reduction of pressure for the international industrial chain to transfer away from China . . . The global epidemic has provided opportunities for improving China’s international position and countering anti-globalization.”
An expert from the Beijing Administrative Review Committee put it this way:
With the globalization of the epidemic and the general frustration of the global economy, Western countries’ reliance on China ’s economy and markets will deepen, and the United States’ use of the epidemic to accelerate its ‘decoupling’ from China is likely to be counterproductive . . . China’s policy drive for anti-epidemic conversion has fostered strong manufacturing, including of masks, medical devices, and technology systems. All can become new growth points for China’s foreign aid and exports, thus providing strong support for the international radiation of China’s soft and hard power . . . The U.S. economy meanwhile will decline.
“The third decade of the 21st century,” he concludes, “is launched with China’s fight against the epidemic—with it the structural improvement of China’s interaction with the world economy and a breakthrough in China’s global role.”
China plans to target the very industries hit hardest by the pandemic and use the same predatory practices it has used in the past to subjugate the world’s industries.
The State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense lays out the strategy: “Accurately support industries affected by the global spread of the new epidemic, proliferate information technology and other industries overseas to help fight the epidemic, and pave the way for international market expansion after the epidemic is over.”
Not to put too fine a point on it, “proliferate information technologies” means wheeling out techno-surveillance Trojan Horses, integrating temperature monitoring with facial recognition, big data, artificial intelligence, and government-monitored social credit scores.
Beijing has a plan to gain ground after the setback it experienced from the Wuhan virus. It is deploying all its resources—industrial, economic, and information—to achieve its goal.
Remember that when you hear “respected voices” such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers or the Peterson Institute for International Economics call for lifting tariffs on China.
Like the New York Times, they are simply swallowing Beijing’s sophisticated propaganda.
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Curtis Ellis is policy director with America First Policies. He was also a senior policy advisor with the Donald J. Trump presidential campaign in 2016.
Photo “Xi Jinping” by Narendra Modi. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Hi there here In Europe Chinese Co vd 19 has destroyed jobs and people are dying, as they are worldwide, the BBC seem to think China is a role model, totally main stream news seems to be so full of China, and how great they have been to control this horrible Virus! Non stop communist bots on line, telling us how we should look up to them? Feel the west has lost the plot, what next will come? India is suffering so much, because of China , and many countries will not make a good recovery
This is a great article and should be spread far and wide. If you would like to investigate this further, read Michael Pillsbury’s great book “The Hundred year marathon”. He’s American but reads Mandarin and his message is the Chinese intend to rule the world and they’re very patient to achieve their goal. I wouldn’t put anything past them at this point, the release of the virus might have been intentional to achieve the goals outlined in this great piece!
Only solution is a massive pre-emptive nucular strike on china. They are our mortal enemy. We still owe them an ass kicking for their actions during the korean war.
My problem is the amount of deaths that are supposed to be from coronavirus. How many of these are truly from the virus and not cancer, old age or natural causes. It seems that every death is being called a virus death. I seriously doubt that.
I LIVE IN PV. MEXICO. THERE IS A MEXICAN THAT INTERPRETS SPANISH TO ENGLISH, HE POSTED THE CDC RECOMMENDATION FOR WEARING MASKS ON HIS PAGE, A CHINESE COMPLAINED, IT WAS REMOVED, WE HAVE 50 PLANES OF MASKS ETC… COMING HERE. THEY COULD EASILY SPREAD THE VIRUS BY EXPOSING THE MASKS TO IT
According to reports, in “June 2012, Hillary Clinton gave a speech at the World Health Org in Oslo, Norway, praising China for their upgrade and expansion health care system. “A short time later Dr. Anthony Fauci sent Clinton’s assistant Attorney Cheryl Mills, a letter praising her for her accomplishments. So if there’s a question about strife between President Trump and Dr. Fauci, perhaps Fauci might have some loyalty issues and leans liberal.
Yep… I came to the same realization just about a week or two ago, too.
A Strategy for ‘how to leapfrog the US’ as the World’s Largest Economy… can be achieved in at least two obvious ways…. innovation and growth, which tends to be The American Style, or cripple your biggest competitor…
Did they get that idea from a figure-skater of some years back?
Shit. “If you can’t beat them, cripple them.”
I do suspect that their Strategy will, in the long run, fail. Give us a year or so and I have a suspicion that the US will be back in the Number 1 spot and China won’t. Not a guarantee, by any means, but I think it’s a very real expectation. Wait and see…
[…] report from Horizon Advisory consultants details Beijing’s post-virus strategy—already operational—to leverage the pandemic to seize global market share in key industries, […]
[…] report from Horizon Advisory consultants details Beijing’s post-virus strategy—already operational—to leverage the pandemic to seize global market share in key industries, […]
[…] report from Horizon Advisory consultants details Beijing’s post-virus strategy—already operational—to leverage the pandemic to seize global market share in key industries, […]
Great article!
And how many other “respected voices” have “blood” on the hands because they took Chinese money and sold us down the river? There are many members of the “ruling elite” in America, who have taken big money, while handing over our sovereignty. And Joe Biden is at the top of that list!
What, do they actually think that their picture will replace Mao on the Chinese yuan after all of this happens? We need to hang on through this faux calamity, reelect Trump and then start cleaning house.
I would like to add that the Leftist controlled fear mongering Mainstream Media is working overtime to contribute to this destruction. This whole virus scare is just what the Liberals were hoping for, a chance to ruin our economy and be presented with yet ANOTHER opportunity to discredit the President. They continue to throw gas on the fire every chance they get. All you have to do is listen to the nightly national news and it’s nonstop fear, tragedy, more fear for older people, fear about losing your job, being locked up in your home for weeks on end, fear of no food or toilet paper, and it goes on and on and on. Never do you hear any encouragement about getting through this or life returning back to normal. I am so thankful that Tennessee is taking a more practical approach to this issue.
Spot on, Steve…
But it’s puzzled me from the start… whyTF did everyone apparently assume they wouldn’t be able to go shopping for TP for what, the rest of the year???
I usually “Mormanize” our household inventories for about a month or so, but … anyway… does that explain why, when I went to Walmart the other day, all of the Dishwasher Detergent shelves were empty, too?!?!? HowTF much Cascade do people use, anyway?!
I usually ‘stockpile’ one or two large jugs in our garage closet, but emptying the shelves at Walmart?!?!?
Jeez!
Amen brother I’m with you a 100%