China May Owe U.S. Reparations

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With the corona virus still claiming victims worldwide and in the United States.  In spite of efforts to stamp out the virus with vaccines, it continues to spread especially the new Delta variant.  In a national survey conducted by Boston University, data showed that most Americans do not blame the citizens of China for the virus, still, a third feel that China owes the U.S. reparations for the countless victims of COVID 19. 

It is essential to note here that COVID-19 not only took lives but have harmed individuals in more ways than one. For instance, it has had an impact on mental health, crime increase in New York and countless financial hits to small businesses all over the United States. Remember that the government response to COVID-19 was to shut down most businesses and many have still yet to recover from the significant impact of these closures.

Going back to recent survey, 2,049 people participated in the survey which was conducted from April 24th to May 7th of 2020.  Another interesting fact that the survey revealed is that 45 percent vs. 33 percent of survey takers felt the term “Chinese virus” is racist while “Wuhan virus” is acceptable since that is the place of origin.   

Data from the survey 

  Some other interesting views came to light in the survey as well: 

  • 3 in 4 Americans say they are willing to socially distance, wear masks and take precautions against the virus 
  • Two-thirds said they were willing or somewhat willing to support mandatory blood test to stop those spreading the virus 
  • 6 out of 10 stated they were unwilling to turn in neighbors who violate stay-at-home orders 
  • 54 percent of Caucasian respondents stated they were willing to stay inside if needed while 70 percent of other ethnic groups were not willing to take this measure 
  • Men were less supportive of preventative measures than women 

Reparations 

 If China is made to pay reparations because of the damage of the corona virus, they will not be the only country in recent history to pay reparations. 

Germany paid $7 billion to Israel as a nation and has paid over $39 billion to Holocaust survivors after World War II.  The U.S. itself paid reparations to Japanese American citizens for wrongfully holding 120,000 people in interment camps in World War II.    

The process of deciding on reparations is a complex one. 

It involves investigating the events, assessing the damages and these complexities can cause long delays before any payments are made.    

Former President Trump called for China to pay 10 trillion dollars to the US in a speech he made at the NCGOP convention in June, MSN reports.  He stated that he believes China is at fault for the virus due to lab leaks and urged other countries to not repay their debts to China as a sort of down payment. President Biden has ordered an investigation to determine if the Chinese government knew about the release of the virus and tried to cover it up. 

With the investigations that have been ordered to delve into the issue and find out the extent of China’s involvement in the development, release and cover-up of the corona virus, it will be a waiting game to see if the claims are proven.  If they are substantiated, it could spell a great cost to China. 

The critical question is, did China conduct bio-warfare or was it an accident? Various actions such as kicking reporters out of China in early 2020, not providing as much information on the severity of the virus in late 2019 and early 2020, and engaging in silencing campaigns with regard to the virus do curry favor on China’s side.

In the meantime, it seems as if the China investigation seems to be ongoing.