It is generally very hard to read too much into what the Chinese govt does because govt behaviour is typically a function of domestic situation, and their domes

It is generally very hard to read too much into what the Chinese govt does because govt behaviour is typically a function of domestic situation, and their domestic situation is very different to ours. The Chinese govt tends to over-react, there is a weird tug of war between local and national politicians, authority in Chinese politics (to me) seems very situational and freewheeling in a way that US politics isn't (an odd point given Chinese criticism of democracy)...it is tricky to read anything into their behaviour. As an example, it is possible that this was a lab leak but that this fact was suppressed by the local govt, and no-one in the central govt is any the wiser. Defending China was because Trump was anti-China. I don't think money was anything to do with it, there is always going to be a section of the media (on both sides) that defines their view as the opposite of what "the other side" believes. There is nothing complicated about this, it is just a terrible idea to think this way and it will almost always backfire. Trump, in particular, brought out this characteristic to an unprecedented level...if Trump had said that grass was green, some sections of the media would have had pundits on an hour later expressing how dangerous that sentiment was and that, whilst grass appears green to the laymen, it is actually a very, very, very subtle shade of brown (even Obama didn't trigger this kind of neuralgia on the right).