Conspiracy theories revolve around the question where the coronavirus comes from. Recently the Yan-Report aroused the attention of the media all over the world. It is a preprint study from Dr. Li Meng Yan, a Chinese scientist who fled to the United States of America.
The Yan-Report has the title "Unusual Features of the SARS-Cov-2 Genome Suggesting Sophisticated Laboratory Modification Rather Than Natural Evolution and Delineation of Its Probable Synthetic Route". The study has been published on OpenAire. In her work Yan claims the coronavirus came from a government-controlled laboratory. Recently she repeated her findings on the British talk Show "Loose Women" and on Fox News.
Bizarre And Unfounded Preprint
Dr. Li Meng Yan claims that the “as a laboratory product created by using bat coronaviruses ZC45 and/or ZXC21 as a template and/or backbone.” Immediatly after its publication scientists dismissed these therory and the findings of the Yan-Report. David Robertson, a viral genomics researcher of the University of Glasgow said: "This paper just cherry-picked a couple of examples, excluded evidence and came up with a ridiculous scenario." Robertson already showed in a peer-reviewed paper that a very similar virus to SARS-Cov-2 can be found in bats. Researchers believe that this virus circulating in bats is 96 percent identical to the novel coronavirus which probaly has developed undetected in bats or human hosts until now. The fact that these strains were identified at a Chinese military lab is also “just circumstantial,” says Robertson in an article on National Geographic, "the bat coronaviruses were circulating in wild bats and could have been discovered by anyone." National Geographic also quotes Angela Rasmussen from Colombia University about the Yan-Report: "It looks legitimate because they use a lot of technical jargon. But in reality, a lot of what they're saying doesn't really make any sense."
Ties To Sinister Think-Tank
Another prominent scientist who dismissed the Yan-Report is Carl T. Bergstrom from University of Washington. He labeled Dr. Li Meng Yan's study as unscientific. On Twitter Bergman says that an odd research institute had released a bizarre and unfounded preprint. Furthermore he connects Dr. Li Meng Yan and her study with a research institute run by US-President Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon.
According to several media reports Dr. Li Meng Yan has fled from Hong-Kong to the United States and is affiliated to the Rule of Law Society and the Rule of Law Foundation. Both are non-profit organizations from New York founded by Steve Bannon. The Tech Times writes that another figure behind these organizations is called Guo Wengui. He is a Chinese businessman who has moved to the US and "had been very vocal against the Chinese Communist Party and has made a series of unverified allegations against the party leaders". Guo owns a news platform which is not only known for critical news about China but also for fake news and content which can be identified as far-right. Furthermore media reports show fotos of Dr. Li Meng Yan posing together with Rudy Giuliani, US-President Donald Trump's personal attorney.
A Sophisticated Conspiracy Theory: The Bigger Picture
In addition, Twitter has already suspended Dr. Li Meng Yan's account. This gives additional proof to the verdict that the Yan-Report is nothing more than a very sophisticated conspiracy theory. Here is my view about it:
During the U.N. General Assembly Donald Trump recently blamed the Chinese government for the spread of the "China virus" and riterated that the Chinese government hid what they knew about the virus. Trump said: "The United Nations must hold China accountable for their actions." It is not the first time president Trump plays the blame game with China. If he continues to do so he contributes to a deeper divide between the United States and China. This can have serious implications. A new Cold War between the two blocks would not only make the world more insecure. It would also massively harm the economies in the US, Asia and Europe.
From a geopolitical standpoint it is irresponsible to spread conspiracy theories like the Yan-Report. The claim that the virus had come from a Chinese laboratory has another insidious effect: It distracts from Trumps catastrophic failure to manage the coronavirus pandemic. This makes the conspiracy theory very useful, especially in these days before the presidential election. It has the potential to contribute to an even deeper divide of society because it can fuel xenophobic ressentiments against chinese people. It may find support in the QAnon movement which consists of many Trump fans. The Yan-Report backs the president's accusations against China. People who are fooled by its pseudo-scientific findings may support the president's actions and accusations against China even more. In their view Trumps blame game against the Chinese government might look very resolute, even presidential which may bring Trump plus points for re-election. Given the fact, it is all based on a conspiracy theory, voters are wise to inform themselves and make up their own minds to be resilient against such conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, the coronavirus is still there and it has to be defeated. You don't do this by supporting misleading scientific reports, blaming others and distracting from own failures to act.
