I don't think that China particularily cares about economic turnmoil, except as a means to an end, which is always power.
Why did China give hundreds of bad loans for infrastructure projects across the developing world? To gain footholds in those countries.
Why does China frequently and artificially devalue their dollar? To dominate global manufacturing and weaken their enemies.
Even when they do something that benefits their economy, like stealing tech from other countries, they only do it to undermine those countries' companies and infrastructure.
So, why would China release the virus on themselves? Not saying they did (could have been negligence and the lab was funded by the USA) but they have a large and aging population which will need to be cared for. Covid disproportionally affects the elderly. The hit to their economy probably isn't even as bad as the effect of having a majority useless population for the next 30 years. Not to mention the renewed obedience in the population that fear of Covid has inspired; they didn't even resist being welded into their homes until a building full of people burned down cause Covid.
On top of that, they'll probably come out on top economically as well. From where are we buying our PPE? Which companies survived, local ones or large global ones who have plants in China?
The ones feeling the temporary economic downturn are the citizens of China, and their government couldn't care less about them.
I don't think that China particularily cares about economic turnmoil, except as a means to an end, which is always power.
Why did China give hundreds of bad loans for infrastructure projects across the developing world? To gain footholds in those countries.
Why does China frequently and artificially devalue their dollar? To dominate global manufacturing and weaken their enemies.
Even when they do something that benefits their economy, like stealing tech from other countries, they only do it to undermine those countries' companies and infrastructure.
So, why would China release the virus on themselves? Not saying they did (could have been negligence and the lab was funded by the USA) but they have a large and aging population which will need to be cared for. Covid disproportionally affects the elderly. The hit to their economy probably isn't even as bad as the effect of having a majority useless population for the next 30 years. Not to mention the renewed obedience in the population that fear of Covid has inspired; they didn't even resist being welded into their homes until a building full of people burned down cause Covid.
On top of that, they'll probably come out on top economically as well. From where are we buying our PPE? Which companies survived, local ones or large global ones who have plants in China?
The ones feeling the temporary economic downturn are the citizens of China, and their government couldn't care less about them.
I will go as far as say most of the developed world has an aging population and needed to get the liability off the books
This ^