May 10, 2021
2 mins read

5 years before pandemic, China probed weaponising coronaviruses

The paper titled The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapons suggested that World War Three would be fought with biological weapons…reports Asian Lite News

A document written by Chinese scientists and health officials before the pandemic in 2015 states that SARS coronaviruses were a “new era of genetic weapons” that could be “artificially manipulated into an emerging human disease virus, then weaponised and unleashed, reported Weekend Australian.

The paper titled The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapons suggested that World War Three would be fought with biological weapons. The document revealed that Chinese military scientists were discussing the weaponisation of SARS coronaviruses five years before the COVID-19 pandemic. The report by Weekend Australian was published in news.com.au.

Peter Jennings, the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), told news.com.au that the document is as close to a “smoking gun” as we’ve got.

“I think this is significant because it clearly shows that Chinese scientists were thinking about military application for different strains of the coronavirus and thinking about how it could be deployed,” Jennings said.

“It begins to firm up the possibility that what we have here is the accidental release of a pathogen for military use,” Jennings added.

He also said that the document may explain why China has been so reluctant for outside investigations into the origins of COVID-19.

“If this was a case of transmission from a wet market it would be in China’s interest to co-operate … we’ve had the opposite of that.”

Also read:China explores New Concept Weapons for PLA

Robert Potter, a cyber security specialist who analyses leaked Chinese government documents, was asked by The Australian to verify the paper. He says the document definitely isn’t fake, reported news.com.au.

“We reached a high confidence conclusion that it was genuine … It’s not fake but it’s up to someone else to interpret how serious it is,” Potter said.

“It emerged in the last few years … they (China) will almost certainly try to remove it now it’s been covered.”

Bangladesh emphasizes wearing masks to contain COVID-19

Potter further stated that it isn’t unusual to see Chinese research papers discussing areas that they’re behind on and need to make progress in.

“It’s a really interesting article to show what their scientific researchers are thinking,” he added.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been caused by a coronavirus named SARS-Co V-2 which emerged in December 2019. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, several of which cause respiratory diseases in humans – ranging from a common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began there have been over 157 million cases of COVID-19 and 3.28 million deaths worldwide, according to the latest update by Johns Hopkins University. (ANI)

Also read:Jaishankar skips China convened Security Council meet

Previous Story

PM calls for talks after Scottish nationalists win

Next Story

Queen’s cousin offers to sell access to Putin: Report

Previous Story

PM calls for talks after Scottish nationalists win

Next Story

Queen’s cousin offers to sell access to Putin: Report

Latest from -Top News

Floods hit growth, but Nepal keeps rating

Nepal maintains its ‘BB-’ sovereign rating for the third consecutive year, supported by strong reserves and concessional borrowing….reports Asian Lite News Desk Nepal has retained its ‘BB-’ sovereign credit rating for the

Pakistan becomes hotbed of infectious diseases

Islamabad’s inability to prevent the rising cases of fatal diseases and provide proper treatment is a matter of international public health security. What could be easily avoided has been allowed to kill

COP31 Faces Fresh Heat Over Fossil Fuel Lobbyists

The presence of fossil fuel-linked representatives in national delegations at COP31 has triggered criticism from climate campaigners and transparency groups…reports Asian Lite News Desk The growing presence of fossil fuel companies at

Bangladesh sees sharp rise in attacks on minorities

Attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh have risen sharply since the 2024 political upheaval, with rights groups documenting a significant increase in violence during 2026…reports Asian Lite News Desk Attacks on religious
Go toTop

Don't Miss

‘China may use Pakistan as proxy to arm Myanmar junta’

Citing intelligence sources, Yan suggested that Beijing is considering using

WUC Expands Global Push for Uyghur Rights

WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun began his first advocacy mission to