{"id":495017,"date":"2021-05-11T05:05:46","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T09:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=495017"},"modified":"2021-05-11T05:05:48","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T09:05:48","slug":"rockefeller-foundation-bankrolls-covid-19-commission-led-by-beijing-sympathizer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rockefeller-foundation-bankrolls-covid-19-commission-led-by-beijing-sympathizer\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockefeller Foundation Bankrolls COVID-19 Commission Led by Beijing Sympathizer"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frockefeller-foundation-bankrolls-covid-19-commission-led-by-beijing-sympathizer%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=495017&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div readability=\"29\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"article-category\"><a class href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/coronavirus\/\">Coronavirus<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-excerpt\">Jeffrey Sachs has downplayed the Uyghur genocide and criticized U.S. foreign policy<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-thumbnail-container relative lg:mr-24 w-full my-4 mb-8\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"736\" height=\"491\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jeffrey-Sachs-736x491-1.jpg\" class=\"w-full lazyload blur-up wp-post-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jeffrey-Sachs-e1605223680543.jpg 736w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Jeffrey-Sachs-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Jeffrey-Sachs-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Jeffrey-Sachs-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"auto\"  style=\"display:none\"><figcaption class=\"absolute text-white p-4 w-full text-right text-xs bottom-0 bg-black opacity-75\">\n\t\t\t\tGetty Images\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"text-gray text-xs md:text-lg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/author\/chuck-ross\/\" title=\"Posts by Chuck Ross\" class=\"author url fn text-red-700\" rel=\"author\">Chuck Ross<\/a> \u2022 May 11, 2021 4:59 am<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div readability=\"145.49191229331\">\n<p>One of the largest charitable foundations in the country has contributed $300,000 to a coronavirus commission formed by a Columbia University economist who advised a Chinese government planning commission and called the United States the &#8220;greatest threat&#8221; to global peace.<\/p>\n<p>The Rockefeller Foundation is one of two backers of the <em>Lancet<\/em> COVID-19 Commission, a collaboration between the British medical journal and Jeffrey Sachs, a prominent liberal economist who <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/elections\/potential-biden-cabinet-pick-a-frequent-guest-on-chinese-propaganda-outlets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">progressive groups<\/a> pushed for a spot in the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>The commission says its goal is to develop recommendations for fighting the virus and addressing the economic fallout from the pandemic. But the pro-Beijing views of Sachs and others involved could make it possible for China to influence the commission as it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unsdsn.org\/the-lancetcovid-19-commission-releases-first-statement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plans<\/a> to advise governments and United Nations institutions.<\/p>\n<p>The commission brings together some of the most significant players on the global health stage. With its $5 billion endowment, Rockefeller funds numerous global health initiatives, and<em>\u00a0Lancet<\/em> is considered one of the world\u2019s premier medical journals. Sachs maintains ties to the World Health Organization and United Nations, where he served as an adviser through 2018.<\/p>\n<p>The commission also receives funding from the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, an Azerbaijan-based think tank that a Chinese ambassador has <a href=\"http:\/\/az.china-embassy.org\/eng\/tpxw\/t1840605.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">praised<\/a> for its &#8220;close cooperation&#8221; with Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>Sachs, who also serves as chairman of the commission, has a long history of criticizing U.S. foreign policy and defending China.<\/p>\n<p>A network of advocacy groups <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/china-uyghurs-columbia-rights-sachs-76ba9d28-a062-49cd-bf74-9f95e12a5c29.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sent a letter<\/a> to Columbia University president Lee Bollinger in February accusing Sachs of downplaying China\u2019s genocide against Uyghur Muslims and criticizing democracy movements in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Sachs had accused the United States in an interview of trying to &#8220;stir unrest&#8221; by promoting democracy protests in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n<p>The groups said that Sachs\u2019s comments were &#8220;in line with PRC state propaganda.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Sachs, who was an adviser to China\u2019s State Development Planning Commission from 2001-2002, <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/elections\/potential-biden-cabinet-pick-a-frequent-guest-on-chinese-propaganda-outlets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has appeared<\/a> numerous times on China\u2019s state-controlled media outlets to criticize the United States. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.project-syndicate.org\/commentary\/america-evangelical-crusade-against-china-by-jeffrey-d-sachs-2020-08?barrier=accesspaylog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has accused<\/a> conservatives of waging an &#8220;unholy crusade&#8221; against China. In 2018, he called the U.S. government the &#8220;greatest threat&#8221; to international law and global peace after officials pushed for an international investigation against Chinese tech giant Huawei.<\/p>\n<p>Sachs sounded off against the United States at an event about the pandemic hosted in September by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and the China Public Diplomacy Association, a group <a href=\"http:\/\/dk.chineseembassy.org\/eng\/TourChina\/t1003792.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">formed<\/a> under China\u2019s ministry of foreign affairs to promote Beijing\u2019s soft diplomacy efforts.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I do not believe that China is the root of the current problems; I believe that the tensions have arisen mainly from the United States side,&#8221; <a href=\"http:\/\/ciss.tsinghua.edu.cn\/info\/ltyc_xc\/2749\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> Sachs, who also accused conservatives of seeking a cold war with China.<\/p>\n<p>The Rockefeller Foundation, which was founded by oil baron John D. Rockefeller in 1913, has a long history in China dating back to the organization\u2019s early days. The charity created the China Medical Board in 1914 to fund medical research at universities in China.<\/p>\n<p>A separate charitable foundation affiliated with the Rockefeller family, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/national-security\/rockefellers-bankroll-china-based-nonprofits-with-ties-to-communist-government\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bankrolls<\/a> multiple Chinese environmental groups with links to the Chinese Communist Party. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund also donates to the isolationist Quincy Institute, whose fellows have <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/national-security\/quincy-institute-fellow-denies-chinas-genocide-of-uighur-muslims\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">denied<\/a> the Uyghur genocide and <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/national-security\/quincy-institute-fellow-worries-israeli-lobby-will-scuttle-new-iran-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">parroted<\/a> anti-Semitic talking points.<\/p>\n<p>Richard Horton, the editor of <em>Lancet<\/em>, has also developed ties to Chinese officials and its state-run media outlets.<\/p>\n<p>Horton was the 2015 recipient of a friendship award from China\u2019s State Administration of Foreign Affairs Experts, a front group for the Chinese Communist Party. He also said last year that China is owed a &#8220;debt of gratitude&#8221; for its handling of the pandemic and that former president Donald Trump committed a &#8220;crime against humanity&#8221; by threatening to pull U.S. funding for the World Health Organization.<\/p>\n<p>Horton\u2019s remarks in a May 2020 interview with CGTN, a state-controlled media outlet, were <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/03\/04\/lancet-richard-horton-china-propaganda-coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">featured in an ad<\/a> that the agency published on Facebook last year.<\/p>\n<p>Horton and Sachs announced the formation of the COVID-19 Commission in a <em>Lancet<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(20)31494-X\/fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">article<\/a> on July 9.<\/p>\n<p>An adviser to the <em>Lancet<\/em> commission, Peter Daszak, was the only American to serve on a team of WHO scientists who visited Wuhan, China, earlier this year to investigate the origins of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n<p>Daszak and others on the WHO team have downplayed the possibility that the virus emerged as a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Daszak was accused of having a conflict of interest because he received millions of dollars in grants from the U.S. government for work with the Wuhan lab.<\/p>\n<p>In February 2020, Daszak recruited a group of scientists to sign a letter published in <em>Lancet<\/em> that called the lab leak hypothesis a &#8220;conspiracy theory.&#8221; He has continued to scoff at the lab leak theory, even as the Biden administration has called for an investigation into the hypothesis.<\/p>\n<p>Sachs has also disputed the lab leak theory. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/05\/05\/opinions\/trumps-anti-china-theory-implodes-sachs\/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1QQ0XaM9yGGF1ikJm8A3qImE-Kz1erEj8xY8sjhg9h_qptu82vE4ZRI9o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a column<\/a> for CNN last May, he said that Republicans were being &#8220;reckless and dangerous&#8221; by suggesting that the virus started in the Wuhan lab.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, officials in both the Trump and Biden administrations have said that the lab leak theory warrants further investigation.<\/p>\n<p>The Rockefeller Foundation and Sachs\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coronavirus Jeffrey Sachs has downplayed the Uyghur genocide and criticized U.S. foreign policy  Getty Images  Chuck Ross \u2022 May 11, 2021 4:59 am &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2277755,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jeffrey-Sachs-736x491-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Rockefeller Foundation Bankrolls COVID-19 Commission Led by Beijing Sympathizer","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-495017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jeffrey-Sachs-736x491-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Rockefeller Foundation Bankrolls COVID-19 Commission Led by Beijing Sympathizer","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2277755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}