There is a classic story from “Journey to the West” where on three separate occasions, a demon transformed into a girl, an old man, and then an old woman to deceive the Monk Tang Sanzang.
Tang was journeying to India to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures, and it was known that eating his flesh would provide everlasting life.
The demon, however, was thwarted by the resourceful and powerful Monkey King, who, on all three occasions, discovered and “killed” the girl, the man, and the woman.
Yet, these actions enraged Tang, who, with his mortal eyes, could not see what the demon was doing, and in turn, shocked by Monkey King’s actions, expelled him from the pilgrimage.
The “Journey to the West” is awash with similar stories and lessons, and it has reminded me of the West’s struggles in dealing with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
News of the Wuhan pandemic broke on January 2020, but it was later confirmed to have begun as early as November 2019.
The CCP has done everything in its power to cover up any real inquiry into its origins, and to some extent, it has succeeded.
Eight Chinese whistleblowers—including Dr. Li Wenliang, who passed away—were admonished into silence.
The mayor of Wuhan, who faced tremendous pressure over the outbreak, shirked responsibility for not issuing early warnings and claimed his superiors did not authorise him to disclose any information.
The World Health Organisation also helped the CCP cause by discrediting early warnings from Taiwan.
The CCP also managed to stall and refuse inquiries into the virus for over a year, while punishing Australia economically for publicly calling for an investigation.
One virus probe later, and there are still questions over the veracity of the investigation.
In the 18 months since the pandemic erupted, democratic nations are still unable to confirm the true source of the virus—or dare confirm it—and can only passively combat the outbreak, new strains, and invest billions into vaccines.
The damage caused is akin to an act of war, yet, political leaders have tread too carefully around the CCP and been unable to see the true intentions of the Chinese regime—which is to allow the virus to run its course and continue its coverup for as long as it can.
Ultimately, the answers to the global pandemic will not be found in Wuhan, or the P4 Laboratory, but in Zhongnanhai, the central headquarters for the CCP.
In Chinese medicine, practitioners will focus their efforts on treating the root cause of an ailment, rather than just dealing with a symptom.
Regarding COVID-19, we must address the root problem, and not just focus on stop-gap measures. We need to unite and force Beijing to work with the international community.
This will not be easy.
Overall, the mistakes of democratic nations over the past 18 months have brought me back to the mistake of the Monk Tang Sanzang.
Both Tang and the international community have struggled to see the true essence of their adversaries.
We can only hope that leaders continue waking up and don’t shy away from confronting the real fiend of this world.
