China, a Greater Threat than North Korea? To the World as Well as Taiwan

Wednesday April 10, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

The crisis in North Korea, if it can be called a crisis, continues; North Korea continues to bluster and threaten in hopes of a better bargaining position; exactly for what, remains to be seen. But the greater danger is around another corner; i.e. look to China.

This is the country that gave us SARS and tried to cover it up until it spread too far outside its borders. Recently of course there were the 16,000 dead pigs or so that were floating in the rivers near Shanghai--not a good sign of a healthy country. But the greater concern now is a series of bird flu cases that continue to appear. They are so far undetermined as to their cause and their source of infection; and there are more than one strain.

The bird flu has spread into Cambodia and citizens of the world have good reason to worry as to where else it will spread outside China's borders. All continue to watch with concern. For all appearances, this is a far greater threat than that posed by North Korea; North Korea can be a bluff. But bird flu has its own will and way; it does not bluff; the only bluff here is China's pretense that it has it under control.