China endangering global health, security – ex-US security exec

MANILA, Philippines — A former security official of the United States (US) has called out the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for being a “net contributor” to the problems faced by the world, noting that the party has endangered global health and security due to its cover-up of the COVID-19 pandemic and other actions.

At the Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum (PI-SF) held at the Batasang Pambansa complex on Monday, former US Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger claimed that the global threats have called on lawmakers from different governments to discuss how these problems may be solved.

However, while lawmakers are attending the PI-SF, Pottinger said one government — China — contributes a lot to the world’s biggest problems.

“The nature of global threats today requires robust cooperation among the countries gathered for this forum. Clear analysis, frank discussion, and forthright collaboration are a prerequisite for successfully confronting global threats. Yet there is one government in particular that, far from helping to solve challenges, is a net contributor to the biggest problems we face,” Pottinger, who worked for the government during US President Donald Trump’s first term, said.

“The Chinese Communist Party, which currently rules China, is engaged in activities that endanger our health, prosperity, security, and liberty. Beijing undermined our health with its reckless cover-up of the COVID outbreak in Wuhan in late 2019, exceeding a global pandemic that has killed millions, and it threatens even worse to come through its biological warfare programs, which violate its treaty commitments to all nations,” he added.

Pottinger’s statements regarding the COVID-19 pandemic comes days after the Central Intelligence Agency shifted its official stance on the pandemic’s origin, saying that the virus was “more likely” leaked from a Chinese lab than transmitted by animals.

But aside from the COVID-19 issue, Pottinger also said that China has undermined global health and security by being a great source of greenhouse gases, while also backing “rogue dictators.”

“Beijing further undermines our health as the single greatest source of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and of pollution in our oceans. Beijing weakened our prosperity through its state-sponsored theft of intellectual property and its official subsidies, protectionism, and dumping practices, which punish innovation and competition by law-abiding nations and entrepreneurs,” he claimed.

“Beijing stripped away our security by backing rogue dictators in Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and North Korea. Xi Jinping signed a no-limits pact with Vladimir Putin on the eve of Russia's re-invasion of Ukraine in 2022, helping cause the largest war in Europe since World War II,” he added.

Despite these statements, Pottinger said allied governments should take a step towards protecting the lives of Chinese people in their countries, as there should be a distinction between the actions of the CCP and individuals of Chinese descent.

“Finally, protect the rights of Chinese people living, studying, and working in your countries, so they can enjoy the freedoms that so starkly distinguish free nations from the increasingly oppressive atmosphere inside China today. This means standing up against discrimination at home,” he said.

China was a central topic in the discussions at the PI-SF in Manila from February 3 to 4. Earlier, no less than House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said that the Philippine government treats the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue with urgent concern, as China’s activities still threaten a rules-based order.

According to Romualdez, coercive activities committed against the Philippines have persisted even if the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in 2016 awarded it exclusive rights over the WPS.

Romualdez said that the Philippine Congress has supported President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s renewed push for upholding territorial integrity by crafting bills that turned into the Philippine Maritime Zones Act (Republic Act No. 12064) and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act (RA No. 12065) , ensuring the lawful passage of foreign vessels in our waters while protecting national security.

Despite the PCA award, China’s incursion over the WPS has not stopped — leading to several incidents and diplomatic protests filed over the years, even as the country enjoyed better ties with Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

(2025/02/03-15:54)