Another Rabid Puppy recommendation. This story was published in Jerry Pournelle’s There Will Be War Vol. X
Chinese business manager Zhang Zedong is concerned that production in his African mining operation has fallen again this quarter, and that General Xu will think this is because of excessive greed on the part of management. Zhang blames the problem on the local crime rate, and he comes up with a plan to reduce the problem. Scott Berens of the CDC tracks an outbreak of a new virus in Zambia, and identifies it as an anomaly because of the pattern. He alerts co-worker Philip Thompson to check it out, and Thompson thinks the Chinese may have weaponized a polio vaccine. After notifying the military about this, Thompson infers the US has also weaponized viruses. At home, he is approached by a Chinese agent who has a deal to offer.
This is an interesting story line, and this should be a fully developed story, but the action doesn’t develop the way I expect it to. The characters are flat. The straight-forward narrative means there’s no rising action, no feel of conflict, no drama and no climax. On the positive side, it has high diversity, as it concerns Chinese business investment in Africa and features Chinese characters.
Revisiting this 5/25/21, I’m going to raise the rating to 3 and a half stars. The problems with the story’s construction remain, but the projection about pandemics turns out to be sort of amazing.
Lela E. Buis 
Mar 04, 2016 @ 04:14:25
I really don’t think I’d give the story any points for diversity. I’d bet money the story doesn’t want that kind of points anyway. 😉
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Mar 04, 2016 @ 04:23:49
I’m wondering if it’s a translation. Somehow it’s got that feel.
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Mar 05, 2016 @ 02:47:08
I’m not sure which is more offensive, the portrayal of Chinese or the portrayal of them as heroic.
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Mar 05, 2016 @ 03:42:20
It’s certainly not the usual story, is it?
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May 25, 2021 @ 01:22:18
I don’t know why anyone’s complaining.
Too much science fiction that claims to be “bold” and “dangerous” briefly nibbles at the edges of uncomfortable ideas, then drops everything in a panic and retreats behind a cloud of comforting platitudes about Mom and apple pie, like a frightened cuttlefish squirting out a cloud of ink, the motherhood statement. Greg Egan said the key to effective science fiction is to burn the motherhood statement.
That’s exactly what Charles Shao did. He burned the motherhood statement.
The story should have won the Hugo for 2016 for Best Short Story. On merit it would have, if SWFA weren’t full of social justice crazies who love comforting platitudes about anti-racism and environmentalism and horrible Red State rednecks being subhuman trash who deserve extermination.
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May 25, 2021 @ 07:47:57
If I were reviewing this now, I would have a completely different opinion about it. All of the sudden it looks like a chillingly accurate prediction of the future of viral bioengineering by both the US and China. There was a lot of arm waving about the natural versus man-made origins of COVID19 last year, but now I notice even the NY Times is saying we need to take another look at Chinese research and US funding. The problems with the story’s construction still remain, but you’re right it was a pretty landmark piece of work.
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