> (I think NIH funding virology research in China is dumb. That should not have happened.)
I'm not sure why "in China" is your point of concern here? Lots of virology research presents minimal danger, and seems fine to me to fund even in geopolitical adversaries (after calculation of the diplomatic and scientific costs and benefits).
My concern with the WIV's work is that they were searching for deadlier and faster-spreading human viruses. So if their research succeeds, then they're deliberately just a containment failure away from a novel human pandemic. China's laxer safety standards compounded that risk, but I'd oppose such work in Baric's lab at UNC too.
I'm not sure why "in China" is your point of concern here? Lots of virology research presents minimal danger, and seems fine to me to fund even in geopolitical adversaries (after calculation of the diplomatic and scientific costs and benefits).
My concern with the WIV's work is that they were searching for deadlier and faster-spreading human viruses. So if their research succeeds, then they're deliberately just a containment failure away from a novel human pandemic. China's laxer safety standards compounded that risk, but I'd oppose such work in Baric's lab at UNC too.