Wuhan virus lab was signed off by EU Brexit chief Michel Barnier in 2004 - despite French intelligence warnings that China's poor bio-security reputation could lead to a catastrophic leak

Daily Mail ^ | 05/26/2020 | Glen Owen

[SeekAndFind]

The construction of the Chinese laboratory at the centre of mounting suspicion over the source of the Covid-19 pandemic was signed off by the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier – despite warnings by French intelligence services.

Mr Barnier – currently embroiled in acrimonious negotiations with the UK over a post-Brexit trade deal – was the French foreign minister when he gave the go-ahead for work to start on the Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2004, under a joint deal with the Chinese.

The move came despite strong opposition from French diplomatic and security advisers, who argued that the Chinese reputation for poor bio-security could lead to a catastrophic leak.

They also warned that Paris could lose control of the project, and even suggested that Beijing could harness the technology to make biowarfare weapons.

Eleven years later, as the laboratory prepared to open, the French architects of the project complained that they had, as feared, been ousted by the Chinese communist government.

Mr Barnier’s role in helping to establish the Wuhan institute can be revealed as part of a Mail on Sunday investigation into French connections to the laboratory.

The site was carrying out research on coronaviruses when the outbreak started in the city last November.

A growing number of scientific and security experts are now questioning the Chinese government’s insistence that the virus originated in a wildlife market in Wuhan, with Beijing’s refusal to allow an international investigation only adding to the growing suspicions.

Last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed that experts now believe the coronavirus was taken into the market by someone already carrying the disease.

Biologists who carried out a landmark study say they were ‘surprised’ to find the virus was ‘already pre-adapted to human transmission’.

[cmj328]

Catastrophes are revenue enhancers for our secret betters.

[treetopsandroofs]

Sounds like a press release designed to convince us that FraudCo knew nothing about it.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Sounds like a press release designed to convince us that FraudCo knew nothing about it.

What on earth is FraudCo? Is that a company?

[PGR88]

The move came despite strong opposition from French diplomatic and security advisers,

I was working in China in 1999-2000 during China’s negotiations to enter the WTO. During the whole period, American industry of all sorts were continuously complaining about Chinese tariff, regulatory and other barriers which made it difficult to sell or operate there. The deal allowed China to keep high duties and protect its industry, with promises of future reductions, while immediately allowing MFN access to US and EU markets.

Regardless of that, Bill Clinton, was looking for a short-term foreign policy talking-points and some headlines for himself and Al Gore, approved the deal - and the rest is history

Politicians can be real @$$holes like that.

[Robert DeLong]

I assume FradCo is referring to Fauci (and company).

[treetopsandroofs]

Fraud(Co): Everything published about Barack Hussein Obama must be presumed to be a lie. He was never eligible to be POTUS; All who supported and worked for the Fraud, including the entire 2009-2017 US House of Representatives; All who call Jerusalem “al qudz”.

[wildcard_redneck]

I am not certain how the EU could have stopped the ChiComs from building a virus lab staffed by evil scientists. All that the EU stupidly signed off on was to pay for it and and give the ChiComs access to EU experts, technology, and equipment for nefarious ends therefor providing the opportunity for the ChiComs to rip of the technology and procedural know how.