China criticizes Pentagon's false biodefense review, raises US unanswered biosecurity concerns

The Paper: US Department of Defense issued the 2023 Biodefense Posture Review, which reportedly singles out China as the key long-term threat, casting doubt on Beijing’s compliance with existing international rules on biowarfare and raising concerns over its accelerated plans to integrate civilian biological research programs into the military. What is your comment? Wang Wenbin: I noted the reports. To serve its geopolitical agenda, the US often comes up with so-called “threats” to create the pretext for containing and suppressing other countries in order to ensure its supremacy and seek selfish gains. Such a practice goes against the trend of the times and harms the common interests of the international community. Biosecurity is a global issue. The US’s false narratives and moves to stoke confrontation seriously jeopardize the biosecurity governance system with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) as the cornerstone and the global response to biosecurity risks and challenges. When it comes to biosecurity threats, the US is the most active and suspected country in conducting bio-military activities. The US has never given a meaningful response to the international community’s concerns. For example, has the US been secretly developing its biological warfare capabilities even after it joined the BWC? What’s the US truly up to by investing in what it calls biodefense? Has the US ever used other countries for activities that are inconsistent with the BWC and US domestic laws? Why does the US collect biometric data and samples from around the world and what have they been used for? Why does the US oppose establishing a bioweapon verification mechanism while all other countries have agreed to it? As long as these questions remain unanswered, the international community will not be able to build up confidence in the US’s compliance, and global biosecurity will hardly become a reality. China supports continued international review of the US’s compliance issue and again calls on the US to earnestly fulfill its international obligations. I would like to reiterate here that China will continue to act under the Global Security Initiative and work with the international community to firmly uphold the authority of international biosecurity law, enhance global biosecurity governance, and respond to biosecurity risks and challenges. __________________ ShanghaiEye focuses on producing top-quality contents. Nobody knows SHANGHAI better than us. Please subscribe to us ☻☻☻ __________________ For more stories, please click ■ What's up today in Shanghai, the most updated news of the city    • Playlist   ■ Amazing Shanghai, exploring the unknown corners of the city, learning the people, food and stories behind them    • Amazing Shanghai and China 淘宝魔都玩转中国   ■ What Chinese people's lives are like during the post COVID-19 period    • COVID-19 新冠疫情   ■ Views of foreign scholars on China and its affairs    • Voices, Let's Listen! 听她他说   ■ Foreign faces in Shanghai, people living in this city sharing their true feelings    • Playlist   ■ Mini-docs showing why China is the country it is today    • Stories & Documentary 奇闻逸事记录中国   __________________ ☎Leave us messages if you have any suggestions or questions! Thank you!