Emerging Pandemic Risks Come From Engineered Viruses in Chinese Labs, Not the Jungle or Bat Caves

Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli is seen inside the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei Province, on Feb. 23, 2017. Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

It’s essential that we refocus our capabilities on the demonstrably highest probability source of the next pandemic: genetically engineered viruses that are being increasingly created in labs in China.

Aggregating Disparate Information

Over the course of late 2019 to the present, humanity has experienced the most disruptive series of events since World War II. However, unlike the World War II period, many of those affected remain bewildered and lacking access to even fundamental information regarding the origin, current status, or what success even looks like in this situation. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the strategic environment in the Asia-Pacific region, caused massive economic hardship, and generated domestic chaos across multiple systemically important nations in Asia, the Middle East, and the West.