Opinion: China is the greatest geopolitical threat to the U.S.

Half of the nation watches the economy go under and the government becoming more polarized. World infrastructures have collapsed, unemployment is skyrocketing, and governments are in a disarray. Amid the chaos, we ask who is responsible for so much destruction.

Goldman Sachs projected on March 20 that gross domestic product would fall at a 24% rate in the second quarter of the year, according to Vox.

Yes, we can blame Washington politicians for their bickering. Yes, we can point fingers at the millions of Americans hoarding toilet paper in hopes it will cure their disease. Yes, we can look at the vernacular of the media’s headlines and the President’s press conferences. But in the end, the one entity that holds the most accountability is the Chinese government.

The Chinese government has been a rising power on the world stage with an economy increasing by exuberant rates.

In 2018, China’s GDP had skyrocketed to over $13 trillion in U.S. dollars — about 10% growth per year, which has recently slowed to about 6%, according to Forbes.

Just recently, COVID-19 originated from Wuhan, China. While the Chinese government did not start the spread of the pandemic, they did not prevent it from spreading. This is exemplified by the Chinese government having prior knowledge of COVID-19 before it affected millions.

According to the New York Post, Chinese scientist knew about the deadly effects of the coronavirus in December 2019, but were ordered to suppress the evidence by government officials.

Their inaction to the spread of this pandemic was negligent. They disregarded the potential threat of the virus to propagate the narrative of their regime.

According to USA Today, the timeline indicates that Xi Jinping, president of the People’s Republic of China, knew the severity of the virus outbreak two weeks before it was revealed publicly.

It’s a narrative that says their regime serves the Chinese people and promotes liberty. Yet, evidence suggests otherwise. Reports have shown Muslim detention camps located in China.

Leaked documents from the Chinese Communist party describe that over a million ethnic minority muslims are held in these detention camps, according to the Guardian.

These camps enforce total physical and mental control with political indoctrination, strict secrecy and security protocols, according to TIME.

When asked about the existence of such immoral practices, they denied it. When evidence contradicted their statement, they fabricated a lie.

The Chinese government called the documents “pure fabrication and fake news,” according to TIME.

Beijing officials have claimed that the camps are meant for “education transformation” and “vocational training,” TIME reported.

This violation of human rights and freedom is abhorrent. The Chinese government’s lies on the World Stage should lose the trust of major nations. The American government must question the motives of the Chinese government if they believe barring Muslims of their freedom is permissible. It should also strike fear in the hearts of many since China holds such a dangerous capacity.

The Chinese government has a $177.6 billion USD military budget as of 2019, 2,035,000 active personal, and a $13.6 trillion economy as of 2018, according to the World Bank website.

The Chinese government is an unchecked authoritative regime that poses a threat to many nations. They can manipulate the masses, propagate narratives, and partake in evil practices without significant punishment.

When the world economy recovers from this crisis, there has to be serious ramifications for the Chinese government. They are singlehandedly responsible for the initial spread of the virus and the destruction of many. Their lack of a serious response killed thousands and affected millions.

To be clear, this is not attacking the Chinese people in any way. If it were an African, European, South American, or any other government, I would criticize it just as harshly for their incompetence. The race of the people subjugated by their rule is irrelevant to the matter.

The Chinese people are not at fault for the flaws of their government. It is the Communist Party of China that must answer to the world powers.

While I do not agree with President Trump’s trade war, there must be a strong and swift attack against the Chinese government. The leaders of the free world must come together in condemnation of the Chinese government’s actions.

Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China has undermined various governments, disrespected the people of China, initiated the widespread of a global pandemic, and is our greatest geopolitical threat.  We must be vigilant and wary of what China does in the future.