Coronavirus as a Political Factor: Western and Chinese Versions of SARS-CoV-2 Origin and the Ways of Its Treatment

Abstract

From the very beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, debates about its origin became substantially ideologised. The main ideological competition comprises the opposition of the two poles, the West understood in the collective sense, and China. Despite the WHO Commission regarded the version of artificial SARS-CoV-2 origin that escaped from the laboratory in Wuhan, the least probable, some Western politicians continued to use speculations about “Chinese biological weapon” in 2021. The Chinese authorities have countered these speculations with impressive successes in the fight against the epidemic and a willingness to engage with other countries through the new Health Road initiative. Confucian values are cited as one of the foundations of Chinese achievements, which, however, are of universal human significance. The article provides an overview of the current situation.