Made in China

'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 'In seeking answers to where the Covid-19 virus might have come from and why it appeared in Wuhan, Jasper Becker first delves into the history of plague in China. He then traces disease transmission, the political and economic drivers of state-sponsored scientific research and the transnational investigation of zoonotic diseases that may have created the conditions for the Wuhan outbreak. 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 'Mr. Becker […] provides useful context about the complicated history of U.S.-China relations. [Made in China] brings to the surface what is often a subtext in these debates about virus research: the spectre of biological warfare.' -- The Wall Street Journal