Noted conservative columnist and author Gordon Chang was the featured speaker at the Madison Republican Committee's Spring Reception, which was held June 15th at Shanghai Jazz. In his remarks to the Madison crowd, Mr. Chang discussed the debate surrounding the origins of COVID-19 and the findings from recent investigative reports.
"The absence of supporting evidence for a zoonotic transfer suggests SARS-CoV-2 was developed in a facility, most likely the Wuhan Institute of Virology. There are, in addition to the report of three sick researchers, troubling indications the pathogen came from that lab," he told the crowd.
He also criticized Beijing's inadequate response as the local epidemic grew into "the most deadly pandemic in a century." "Chinese health officials, especially from December 2019 to February 2020, issued statements to the public, especially about the disease's contagiousness and severity, that they had to know were false." The direct result of Chinese leaders' actions, Mr. Chang explained, was that an epidemic that could have been confined to central China, was instead allowed and even encouraged to spread throughout the world in what could potentially be considered an act of war.
"Chinese health officials, especially from December 2019 to February 2020, issued statements to the public, especially about the disease's contagiousness and severity, that they had to know were false."
After his speech, Mr. Chang responded to questions from the audience on topics ranging from China's infrastructure investments around the globe to the expansion of the communist nation's naval fleet.
The Reception drew a standing-room only audience that included Mayor Mary-Anna Holden, who served as Mayor of Madison from 2008 until 2011 and chaired or co-chaired every committee and department in the borough during the ten years she served as a Madison Councilwoman. Also attending the reception was Connor Wasik, a 2021 graduate of Madison High School and recipient of the Madison Republican Committee scholarship.
Several other notable area Republican leaders turned out to hear Mr. Chang, including Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi; Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling; Morris County Commissioners Deborah Smith, John Krickus, Steven Shaw, and Tayfun Selen; candidate for NJ State Senate LD-27 Adam Kraemer, LD-27 Assembly candidate Kevin Ryan; Morris County Republican Committee Chairwoman Laura Ali; Christina Ramirez, Morris County representative to the Republican State Committee; Phyllis Florek, President of Morris County Womens Republican Club; and Rosemary Becchi, President and Founder of Jersey 1st, a 501(c)(3) organization committed to identifying, educating, and advocating for economic and social policies that put the interest of NJ families and businesses first.
On behalf of the Madison Republican Committee, Chairwoman Kathy Dailey stated "We extend our sincere thanks to our co-sponsors for today’s event. This informational and insightful program would not have been possible without the support of the Morris County Republican Committee, Jersey 1st, and Rose City Jewelers."
About the Madison Republican Committee: The Madison Republican Committee, through strong leadership, moral strength, and community involvement, strives to improve the overall quality of life for all of Madison’s residents. MadisonNJGOP.com | madisonNJrepublicans@gmail.com
About Gordon Chang: Mr. Chang lived and worked in China and Hong Kong for almost two decades, most recently in Shanghai, as Counsel to the American law firm Paul Weiss and earlier in Hong Kong as Partner in the international law firm Baker & McKenzie. He is the author of The Great U.S.-China Tech War and Losing South Korea, booklets released by Encounter Books. His previous books are Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World and The Coming Collapse of China, both from Random House. His writings on China and North Korea have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The National Interest, The American Conservative, the International Herald Tribune, Commentary, National Review, and Barron's. He also writes for The Daily Beast. Mr. Chang has spoken at Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale, and other universities and at The Brookings Institution, The Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, RAND, the American Enterprise Institute, the Council on Foreign Relations, and other institutions. He has given briefings at the National Intelligence Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, the State Department, and the Pentagon. He has also spoken before industry and investor groups including Bloomberg, Sanford Bernstein, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia. Chang has appeared before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Chang has appeared on CNN, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, CNBC, MSNBC, PBS, the BBC, and Bloomberg Television. He is a regular co-host and guest on The John Batchelor Show and The Joe Piscopo Show. Outside the United States he has spoken in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, The Hague, London, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver. He has served two terms as a trustee of Cornell University.
