China: Coronavirus and the Loss of Freedoms

From the standpoint of a lad, Li Meixin, who the author met in 1979, we examine the coronaviruses SARS 2003, MERS and COVID-19. What can we learn about each of them, in terms of their early development and reporting, to the spread and their deadliness? Turning to the Tibetan Buddhists and Uyghurs, we see an attack on their language, culture and religion by the Party. In addition, millions have been sent to "re-education camp" prisons where they are poorly treated. Mosques have been refashioned to look more Chinese. Crosses have been removed from the churches and cameras installed. Those who do not approve are imprisoned. Where cameras are installed, the party monitors each sermon and removes preachers who may not follow the socialist line. There are steps we can take to verify the various theses about the coronavirus - whether it was spread from a live animal or a leak from the Wu Han Institute of Virology. A symposium would allow scholars to address their differences and suggest improvements that may be made to increase safety. We can boycott products from Sinxiang made through forced labor. We can take steps to limit exports of critical technology provided by the West that support social media analysis.