Made in China

Wuhan, Covid and the Quest for Biotech Supremacy

Jasper Becker

A Hurst Publication

What might COVID-19 mean for, and reveal about, China's place in the world?
A Mandarin speaker, the author draws on his lengthy career reporting from China, including his time as bureau chief for the South Morning Post
Reveals what we can learn about China from the outbreak of the virus.
Shines a light on how Covid-19 has and will continue to impact the relationship between China and the West.

Made in China

Wuhan, Covid and the Quest for Biotech Supremacy

Jasper Becker

A Hurst Publication

Description

What might COVID-19 mean for, and reveal about, China's place in the world?

The coronavirus pandemic started in Wuhan, home to the leading lab studying the SARS virus and bats. Was that pure coincidence? This book explores what we know, and still don't know, about the origins of COVID-19, and how it was handled in China.

We may never get all the answers, but much is already clear: China's record as the origin of earlier pandemics, and its struggle to bring contagious diseases under control; its history as both a victim of biological warfare and a developer of deadly bioweapons. When Covid broke out, Wuhan was building science parks to realise Beijing's ambitions in biotech research. Whoever achieves global leadership of the gene-editing industry stands to harvest great power and wealth.

China has already challenged Western technological supremacy with 5G and in other industries. Yet this tiny, invisible virus has cruelly exposed a critical flaw in the Chinese political system: obsessive secrecy. The West wanted to trust the PRC, hoping that, as it prospered, it would become an open society. Made in China reveals how Beijing's leaders have betrayed that trust.

Made in China

Wuhan, Covid and the Quest for Biotech Supremacy

Jasper Becker

A Hurst Publication

Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Bubonic Plague
Chapter Three: German Warfare
Chapter Four: The Astonishing Size Of The Soviet Biowarfare Program
Chapter Five: Does China Have A Biowarfare Program
Chapter Six: The Commercialization Of China's Military Enterprises
Chapter Seven: Made In China Plan
Chapter Eight: Wuhan And The Pharma Industry
Chapter Nine: Illumina And Crispr
Chapter Ten: China's Biotechnology Race
Chapter Eleven: Bioethics And Gain Of Function Debate
Chapter Twelve: The Virus Hunters
Chapter Thirteen: The Mysterious Sars Outbreak 2002-2003
Chapter Fourteen: Going Bats In China
Chapter Fifteen: The Strange Story Of France And Wuhan's Bs4-Lab
Chapter Sixteen: Looking For A Gas Leak With A Lighted Match
Chapter Seventeen: Secrecy Stopped China's Disease Control Centre From Doing Its Job
'Its All Fake'
Chapter Eighteen: Confusion And Deception In Wuhan
Chapter Nineteen: China And The World Health Organization
Chapter Twenty: Panic And Dissent In Wuhan

Made in China

Wuhan, Covid and the Quest for Biotech Supremacy

Jasper Becker

A Hurst Publication

Author Information

Jasper Becker lived in and reported from Beijing for eighteen years, including as bureau chief for the South China Morning Post. A Mandarin-speaker, he has written on China for The Guardian, The Economist and The Spectator. He is the author of ten books including the acclaimed Hungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine.

Made in China

Wuhan, Covid and the Quest for Biotech Supremacy

Jasper Becker

A Hurst Publication

Reviews and Awards

"Jasper Becker writes on China with integrity and lucidity."--Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

"Jasper Becker draws on many years of experience in investigative journalism in China to probe a pressing mystery. Can it really be a mere coincidence that Covid-19 appeared in close proximity to the only known laboratory in the world that was specialised in experimenting with the SARS virus, a close relative of Covid? Becker's examination of the evidence from Wuhan suggests that such a coincidence is most unlikely."-- James Kynge, Global China Editor, Financial Times

“Becker's masterly knowledge of Chinese history and Chinese language sources offer unique insights that allow readers to reach their own conclusions as to the cause of the pandemic, a watershed in world affairs. His analysis of government responses confirms the Chinese Communist Party's preoccupation with controlling the public narrative, dispelling the widespread and oversimplified image of authoritarian efficacy in pandemic management. Becker also performs a major service in discussing the future global public health risks that may emanate from the PRC."-- Dr Kun-Chin Lin, Deputy Director of the Centre for Geopolitics and Tun Suffian College Lecturer at Gonville & Caius College, University of Cambridge