News Analysis From the World Health Organization’s early China-friendly messaging on the virus outbreak to influential papers dismissing the theory that the virus originated in a laboratory, Beijing’s sway over scientific discussions has come under increasing scrutiny during the pandemic. Some observers are also pointing out the communist regime’s footprint in the push for one side of the debate on the science and policy of lockdowns, which have had significant economic ramifications in the West. “Number one, the [lockdowns in the West] have strengthened [Beijing’s] control over the global supply chain. And number two, [lockdowns] have meant that Beijing’s economy has been growing while other economies around the world—mostly free societies but not only free societies—are shrinking,” U.S. Gen. (Ret.) Robert Spalding said in an interview. Spalding is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of “Stealth War: How China Took Over While America’s Elite Slept.” Ross McKitrick, …