DISINFO: Coronavirus is a tool to weaken Chinese economy
SUMMARY
It is more than a possibility that this virus is a tool used by another superpower [the US] to undermine the Chinese economy and even China’s “population reduction program,” the environmental situation in China continues to deteriorate.
RESPONSE
Fear over coronavirus has indeed affected China's stock markets, but assessing the virus as an artificial, man-made problem is part of the recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on secret labs and biological weapons. It is also consistent with the narrative that the spread of coronavirus is in the interest of the US to weaken China economically.
In response to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the Chinese authorities have placed more than a dozen cities under quarantine. The World Health Organisation is working with Chinese authorities and global experts to learn more about the virus. The virus "2019-nCoV” comes from a family of viruses that include the common cold, and viruses such as SARS and MERS. There is no evidence to suggest it was developed artificially as a weapon of mass destruction.