Min. Válek's sales pitch

Army Chief of Staff Karel Řehka is urging politicians to spend money the country doesn't have to defend against a future "advanced adversary," whereas Health Min. Vlastimil Válek is urging Czechs to get vaccines the country already has to defend against a momentarily passive adversary. In both cases, the biggest threat might be China. Foreign markets have started again to notice a nationwide surge in covid cases in Beijing and other Chinese cities. The Financial Times wrote in this regard that, "If you believe the spread of covid-19 has ended, think again." At the recent G20 meeting, government leaders might have wrangled over what to say about the war in Ukraine, but they were united in pushing forward with mRNA technology transfers and solutions for "facilitating" international travel during a pandemic. Regardless of which side of the debate you are on, it might be advisable to start listening to Health Min. Válek again so that the next pandemic wave doesn't catch you by surprise.