The Daily Signal - The Dark Reality of China's COVID-19 Cover-Up

Episode Date: April 13, 2020

China discovered the coronavirus in December, but chose to hide it from the world. Now nearly every nation on earth is paying the price for China's actions. Olivia Enos, a senior policy analyst in the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation, joins the show to discuss her recent report, "How the Chinese Government Undermined the Chinese People’s Attempts to Prevent and Respond to COVID-19." Also on today show: We read your letters to the editor. University of Nevada medical student Jayde Powell set out to purchase groceries for the elderly in her community. But her local effort quickly grew into a global organization called Shopping Angels.  Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Monday, April 13. I'm Robert Louis. And I'm Virginia Allen. Today, we're sharing my recent conversation with Heritage Foundation Senior Policy Analyst, Olivia Enos. Olivia joined me on the Problematic Women podcast last week to discuss her report on China's role in covering up the coronavirus. It was such an interesting discussion that we really wanted to share it with you all here on the Daily Signal podcast. We also have your letters to the editor and a good news story about a medical student. who set out to help her community during the coronavirus and ended up starting a global movement. Rob, before we get to today's show, I really want to take a minute and tell all of our listeners about the National Coronavirus Recovery Commission. The Heritage Foundation is playing a critical role in this commission.

And Rob, I just want to ask you to explain for a minute what the purpose of that commission is and what role Heritage is playing. Well, thank you, Virginia. I appreciate that. the Heritage Foundation established the National Coronavirus Recovery Commission last week because we feel that it isn't an either-or decision about whether we protect the public health of the American people or open up the economy. We can do both, and we need to figure out solutions for how to do that. So there are 17 commissioners who had their first meeting last Thursday and set out five different phases that we can start to employ to get our country back to normal and back

to work again. So I would encourage our listeners to go to coronavirus commencement. Commission.com to see more and learn all about the commission and the work that we're doing. That's so exciting, Rob. Thanks for sharing. We're just really thankful for the work of the Heritage Team and everyone else that's diving in and just giving a lot of attention to this commission and the important role that it's going to play as America does come out of this pandemic. Well, thank you, Virginia. And we're really grateful to have the Heritage Foundation's President Kay Coles-James as chairman of the commission and two of our talented colleagues,

Paul Winfrey and Charmaine Yost as its executive director. So you'd probably be hearing more about it on the Daily Signal podcast in the weeks and months to come. Well, we look forward to that. All right. Well, now we're going to go to my conversation with Olivia Enos. Stay tuned. When the coronavirus was first discovered in Wuhan, China, the Chinese Communist Party tried to cover it up. Doctors who were treating patients with the virus and citizen journalists who were trying to report on the situation were silenced.

China has restricted aid. from foreign humanitarian organizations and the limits they place on free speech and nonprofits within their own nation have restricted efforts to fight COVID-19 quickly. Here with us to break down China's role in covering up the coronavirus and what America's response should be

is Heritage Foundation, Senior Policy Analyst in the Asian Studies Center, Olivia Enoz. Olivia, thanks so much for being here. So much for having me, Virginia. Now, you have just completed and published a wonderful long report titled how the Chinese government undermined the Chinese people's attempts to prevent and respond to COVID-19. And Dr. Lee, we've heard a little bit about him.

He was the initial doctor that discovered COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. What do we know about Dr. Lee in his attempts to inform the world of really the seriousness of this virus? Yeah, it's just amazing that, you know, China essentially just took a classic play out of its playbook this time around by starting to silence whistleblowers like Dr. Lee, as you mentioned. So Dr. Lee started to see an emergence of a pneumonia-like virus. And he really just sort of sounded the alarm on it, and especially given that it was so infectious. And he was called in for questioning, forced to recant what he had said about it. And unfortunately,

Dr. Lee actually ended up dying of coronavirus himself. But he was sounding the alarm all the way back in December. And we really didn't start hearing reports emerging from China until January. And so I think that there was a lot of lost time due to the fact that Dr. Lee was silenced from the start. And not only did you have Dr. Lee and other whistleblowers being told to stay quiet on this, But you also saw China and the Chinese Communist Party saying, you know, we're not going to allow civil society to be involved in a really major way. Instead, we want the Chinese Communist Party to be the hero, the primary agent that is acting to respond to this virus. And we want to sideline the Chinese people and the civil society that really could have helped in responding, especially early on. You know, Olivia, I think for so many of us and kind of, you know, our,

our Western culture, this is just so bizarre for us to hear that a medical professional would come to the government and say, I have real concerns about this. And their response would be total cover-up. Could you just explain a little bit about how the Chinese government really operates? And, you know, is this behavior really in alignment with kind of what we have seen from China's party before? I think this is very typical. And in fact, when I first started really, searching for the paper, I didn't realize that the silencing of whistleblowers in the context of a major health crisis had actually happened previously. So there was a similar incident where a doctor sounded the alarm during the SARS epidemic in 2002 and 2003. And he started calling into question

some of the government's reporting on this. And he started to really let the world know that actually the rate of infection and the number of deaths due to then SARS was much higher than what the Chinese government was reporting. This is very typical of China, and the Chinese Communist Party likes to maintain a tight grip on information. This is why they have their famous firewalls that restricts people's access to different resources on the internet. It's why the Chinese government has consistently engaged in tamping down on religious expression, whether somebody is a Christian or Muslim, or a Falun Gong practitioner or Buddhist or any faith because they see it as threatening to the Chinese Communist Party. And it's also the reason why they have historically tamped down on civil society.

So a lot of the restrictions that were outlined in the paper, for example, of the Chinese government preferring, it's really a misnomer, but they call them government-affiliated, non-governmental organizations as the only ones that can respond really just shows and demonstrates to. us that the Chinese government is willing to sideline civil society. And it's really, I think, at the end of the day, because the Chinese Communist Party prioritizes its own image and its own well-being above the well-being and health of the Chinese people. And I think we're seeing that play out during COVID-19. Yeah. And so there's obviously, you know, within China, excuse me, Within China, there are restrictions on, you know, those kind of, quote-unquote, non-profits that are allowed to operate. And like you say, they're really kind of tied to the government.

And it's a little bit of, yeah, not at all what we would typically think of a nonprofit. What about outside organizations? I mean, groups like Doctors Without Borders, have they been allowed into China? So by and large, any sort of aid and assistance from international NGOs has been turned away. and it's been, you know, done in favor of the Chinese NGOs like the Chinese Red Cross. And the Chinese Red Cross actually has a very checkered history, but even in more recent days, they've really, you know, kind of fallen under fire for misappropriating the aid that they received because there are documented cases by the New York Times of them essentially taking aid

that was supposed to go to the Chinese people and instead giving it to the Chinese government. And so I think you really are seeing the Chinese government hamstringing its own response by saying, no, we're not going to allow other NGOs in. And just for context, in the U.S., faith-based organizations, faith-based universities or health care systems or other NGOs, they contribute $303 billion annually to the economy. This is huge in terms of total assistance. And this is what the Chinese government is missing out on when they say that faith-based organizations aren't allowed to be represented in China. Imagine what it would be like if China itself had its own domestic, faith-based, and of course, non-faith-based civil society actors that were able to respond on such a massive scale.

Let's go back for a second and just talk a little bit about kind of when this first started in China and those initial discoveries that the Chinese people were making. We know, in addition to medical professionals, that there were also some citizen journalists that really caught wind of this. And they tried to warn the Chinese people and the rest of the world what was going on. What happened to those journalists? So you're absolutely right. There were a lot of individuals, and these were, you know, in some cases, human rights lawyers turned citizen journalists. in some cases, business interns, citizen journalists are just ordinary Chinese. And what we started to see was that the Chinese Communist Party was essentially making them

disappear. And the excuse would be that they were going into forced quarantine due to COVID-19. But, you know, forced quarantine happened several months ago. And the quarantine time period is 15 to 21 days, typically. And they have not yet reappeared as far as I can tell. So this is very typical of China. You see critics often being silenced in one way or another, whether that's them being subjected to reeducation through forced labor, them actually being killed. We've had individuals who've actually visited the Heritage Foundation in the past who returned to China and ended up dying like a week and a half later.

And these are very well-known advocates for freedom, for faith-based organizations. Some of them are Christian. And so it's really alarming to see that happening. But of course, the most massive scale that we've really seen is in more recent years, the rapid collectivization of Uyghur Muslims to the tune of one to three million that are currently held in political reeducation facilities today, where they're subjected to indoctrination, where they're forced to recant a lot of what they believe, forced to learn Mandarin, and in some cases tortured or required to engage in forced labor.

And so we really just, what we're getting is this picture of a Chinese Communist Party that does not respect civil liberties, that does not respect individual freedom. And we should be very concerned. And we also know of a man who was a Christian by the name of Sun Feng. And he kind of in the midst of, you know, all this information starting to come out in China, he just sent a message to some friends of his and say, hey, we should really all begin to pray and fast that this virus is ended. What happened to Sung Feng?

Yeah, it's a really remarkable story. So Mr. Sun was actually called in for questioning and was told that he was called in to questioning for offering up quote unquote unauthorized prayers. I think this example really highlights the fact that the Chinese Communist Party invades into the most private and closely held beliefs of individuals. I mean, this is a behavior that does not harm anyone to engage in prayer and fasting. But the Chinese Communist Party sees it as a threat because they're really threatened by anything that might be perceived as an authority that individuals might give their allegiance to

that is not the party. And so I think this is obviously very concerning, but also typical of China where you do see the targeting of people simply for having faith. Yeah. Wow. And one of the ways that now we're seeing that China's trying to control the virus and the spread is through an app called AliPay Health Code that actually ranks someone in China on how likely they are to be a carrier or to have been exposed to the virus. But there are a lot of concerns about this app and just that it's really highly invasive of people's personal privacy. Can you explain just kind of what the app is, what it does, and why it poses privacy threats? Yeah, the AliPay Health Code. app is a huge invasion of privacy. It essentially gets downloaded onto your phone and it has the

ability to communicate with local law enforcement by sharing very personal data, including your GPS location. I think it actually has the ability to register your temperature to and like definitely tracks transactions. But it's incredibly invasive and it does share. that private information with law enforcement. And the individuals ranking, like the different color codes, as you mentioned, that people receive, can be affected by whether or not you're like a member of the Chinese Communist Party, which should have absolutely nothing to do with your susceptibility or likelihood of contracting COVID-19.

And so it's just been really remarkable to watch that and especially to see the rollout of this app against the backdrop of the Chinese government's more sinister use of surveillance technology, which we know was one of the ways that they were able to rapidly collectivize the one to three million wakers that are currently held in political reeducation facilities today. And so even though the Chinese government or maybe even other people who are, you know, looking at, well, how do we develop the smartest or most effective response to the coronavirus might say, well, why don't we deploy surveillance technology? But I think given China's sinister use of it and the lack of rule of law and accountability

that exists in China, I think this is a pretty concerning use of the technology and definitely should lead people to ask questions like, how will this be used once COVID-19 is over? Oh, wow. Yeah, that's scary. So in other words, it could be an app that the Chinese government kind of decides, oh, actually this is helpful. We've liked collecting this information. We're just going to keep doing it. Exactly. And then they can use it to target their political opposition. And, you know, as we talked about before, just the way that they so quickly, you know, pulled citizen journalists aside and put them in forced quarantine or the way that they responded to Dr. Lee,

it's just abundantly clear that that surveillance technology can be used to silence their opposition and that they're not afraid to use that. Wow. So considering the way that China has really handled this virus and the whole situation and trying to cover it up, do you think that America should be taking actions right now to really reprimand China for their actions? And if so, what would that look like? Well, I think that the U.S. definitely should call upon China to respect freedom of speech, respect civil society's ability to act and respond and, of course, respect freedom of religion and not something that we have been doing. to press on China for a long time now, especially on requesting things like loosening the restrictions for civil society organizations to be able to register, et cetera. But I think in the midst of COVID-19, we have an especial amount of leverage in order to press for this because the U.S. is the top single country donor to China in the midst of the coronavirus. We've donated, as of like mid-March, $1.3 billion to try to alleviate the suffering of the Chinese people. And so in addition to requesting that China respects these rights and pushing on them in diplomatic

engagements with them, I think that we should also be requesting access for the CDC. Because if the Chinese Communist Party isn't willing to put their best foot forward in order to help the Chinese people, then perhaps the U.S. government can. And I think that, you know, beyond that, we need to communicate to Chinese government officials that the U.S. is watching and that we have tools in our toolbox, Treasury specifically, that would enable us to target individuals on human rights and corruption grounds. And so while we may not sanction them, you know, only for things that they've done during their coronavirus response, we will definitely be looking for ways to target individuals who are engaging in religious freedom violations. suppressing freedom of speech is a general habit. Are you hopeful that we might see China kind of take from this situation, oh, wow, there are real benefits to being a freer society. Maybe we should kind of try that out. You know, is there really

any possibility that we might see them loosen anything? Or do you think that's highly unlikely? I think, you know, we can always hold out hope, but I do think it's unlikely, especially under President Xi Jinping's leadership where we've just seen almost a rapid return to almost an old version of what China used to be like during the cultural revolution. And I think this is especially vivid, as I mentioned before, in the case of their treatment of the Uyghurs, but certainly true of Tibetan Buddhists and their crackdown on Christians. And I really think that Xi Jinping has tried to consolidate power. And so I'm, you know, I'm skeptical of any radical. changes, but I think, you know, the U.S. government has long been out there actively promoting

freedom, not just for folks in the U.S., but for people all over the globe. And I think, you know, this is a really unique time in the midst of a global pandemic for Americans to demonstrate the resiliency of a democracy. I mean, one of the most beautiful things, even in going through suffering and, you know, in our social distancing, you know, pseudo-quarantine states ourselves, has been seeing average Americans step up, whether that's people offering to go and get groceries for their neighbors or churches being willing to give of their tithe or civil society organizations that are making sure that people have masks. And I think that, you know, even if we can't

convince the Chinese government to change its ways, at the end of the, of COVID-19, if the Chinese people know that average Americans care about them and want what's best for them and want them to get healthy and recover from COVID-19, I think we will consider that a success. Olivia, thank you so much for your time today. Just really appreciate your perspective and all of the research that you have done and just sharing that information with us today. Well, thank you so much for having me on, Virginia. The Daily Signal is doing all we can to provide you and your family with the information you need on how to stay healthy through the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing is one of the best proven

ways you can protect yourself and your loved ones. Dr. Birx, Dr. Fauci, and U.S. Surgeon General Adams explain why. Take a listen. Social distancing is what we refer to when we ask people to say at least six feet apart. Staying away from people whom you might get coronavirus from or who are at high risk and whom you might spread coronavirus too. You can socially distance yourself from people in social settings by not going to bars, not going to restaurants, not going to theaters where there are a lot of people. It all just means physical separation so that you have a space between you and others who might actually be infected or infect you. Thanks for sending us your letters to the editor. Each Monday, we feature our favorites on this show and in the Daily Signal's

Morning Bell email newsletter. Virginia, who do you have up first? Nancy Smith of Lakewood, Colorado writes, thank you for Rachel Del Judas' insightful interview entitled Little Rays of Hope, the View from a Field Hospital in Italy, about the work of Samaritan's purse to treat COVID-19 in Italy. It really painted a picture of what these amazing workers are able to do. It is so sad, but yet hopeful. And Earl Beale of Terre Haute, Indiana, writes, Dear Daily Signal, Hey, we are Americans. We are a strong, resilient, innovative, and benevolent people. Yes, we are faced with a severe challenge with the coronavirus. And yes, things will get worse before they get better.

But we are tough. Americans never surrender, never quit in the face of evil or danger. We will adapt and improvise to defeat this scourge. And by doing this, we as a nation shall overcome. Your letter could be featured on next week's show. Send an email to Letters at DailySignal.com. Are you looking for quick conservative policy solutions to current issues? Sign up for Heritage's weekly newsletter, The Agenda.

In the agenda, you will learn what issues Heritage Scholars on Capitol Hill are working on, what position conservatives are taking, and links to our in-depth research. The agenda also provides information on important events happening here at Heritage that you can watch online, as well as media interviews from our experts. Sign up for the agenda on heritage.org today. Virginia, you have a good news story to share with us today. Over to you. Thanks so much, Rob. Well, you know, we keep hearing stories of neighbors who are taking the time to purchase groceries for the elderly in their community.

And a University of Nevada medical student, Jade Powell, set out to do just that. But her community effort has quickly grown into a global organization called Shopping Angels. Shopping Angels is a volunteer organization that shops her groceries for the elderly and delivers them to their homes for free. Powell joined Fox News to explain why she decided to start Shopping Angels. I came up with the idea of shopping angels a few weeks ago. I was just starting my spring break, and I was on the phone with my mom, and she said she was going to ask our older neighbors if they needed anything from the grocery store. And ever since then, it really just put things into perspective,

because me and my mom, like, we're healthy, and we don't have any fear or anxiety about going to the store, but a lot of people who are older or immunocompromise do. So I really started to rally, you know, my friends and try to get a group together that can volunteer time to go to stores for people who are at risk. And ever since then, you know, it's really taken off. And we've gotten over 5,700 volunteers across the country wanting to do the same thing. So it's been really amazing. Shopping Angels has now organized volunteer shoppers in all 50 states and several countries. The organization's success even caught the attention of President Trump.

Throughout this national emergency, everyday heroes continue to step forward and demonstrate the extraordinary character of our nation in Nevada. A college student recruited 90 of her friends to help deliver groceries and supplies to the most vulnerable. This is happening all over the country, thousands and thousands of instances. To volunteer with Shopping Angels or just to learn more about them, you can check them out on Facebook at Shopping Angels. Virginia, thanks so much for sharing and bringing us these good news stories, particularly in this time when we need to be uplifted. Yeah, no, absolutely. It's important to take the time to focus on the good news,

and fortunately there's a lot of it out there right now. There certainly is. Well, we are going to leave it there for today. You can find the Daily Signal podcast on the Rurkishay Audio Network. All of our shows can be found at dailysignal.com slash podcasts. You can also subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or your favorite podcast app. And be sure to listen every weekday by adding the Daily Signal podcast

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