Why Chinese Communism Could Be the Final Casualty of the Coronavirus | Foundation for Economic Education - Doug Bandow:
February 22, 2020 - "The Maoist totalitarian state is being reborn in China under Xi Jinping.... However, the response of the Chinese government to the COVID-19 virus has undermined the CCP’s credibility — and ultimately may threaten the party’s hold on power....
"The worst pandemic in recent years was Ebola between 2014 and 2016: there were about 28,600 cases and 11,300 deaths.... SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome, infected almost 8,100 and killed roughly 800 people in 2002 to 2003. SARS ... also was a coronavirus that originated in a Chinese 'wet market' that featured the sale of live and wild animals. Beijing’s response to that health crisis was heavily criticized.... The regime was more concerned about presenting an atmosphere of calm and stability during a leadership transition than preventing the spread of a disease of unknown potency and transmissibility....
"However, the Chinese government is making similar mistakes in its response to what is now being called COVID-19.... As of mid-February, the number infected exceeds 73,000, with some 1,900 deaths, assuming Beijing’s statistics are accurate. Some doctors and outside researchers estimated that 100,000 or more Chinese actually have been infected.... Nevertheless, the government’s response has fallen short of that necessary to slow if not stop the disease’s spread.... [T]he Wuhan provincial government. ... failed to report a single infection during the first half of January, which coincided with a local party congress, so as not to discourage attendance.
"Beijing decided to lock down the entire city of 11 million. But the Xi government gave advance notice that it was closing the airport and train station, enabling a flood of people to escape.... Five million Wuhan residents ended up elsewhere in China and beyond.... [T]here currently are more than 80 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen, as well as several provinces, under some form of lock-down/quarantine/isolation — more than 45 million people.
"Lack of transparency and honesty may be the regime’s greatest weakness in fighting COVID-19. The CCP previously gained a reputation for covering up the party’s role in disasters, such as earthquakes and train accidents. The regime also lost credibility attempting to limit the political fall-out during the SARS crisis.
"Current skepticism exploded after the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist who sounded the alarm when he observed the rise in suspicious infections. He was detained by the police and accused of spreading 'false information'.... He then treated patients, catching the virus and dying at age 34. The government sought to defuse public hostility by claiming that he was still alive and being treated even after his death.... Li’s death set off a social media explosion ... millions of comments poured in through Weibo, the Chinese Twitter, and other social media platforms.... Many posts declared 'I want freedom of speech,' which the government removed as quickly as possible. Even some Chinese inclined to trust the government went online to express their anger over his treatment....
"In late January the government relaxed control of private reporting, but that ended quickly as Beijing took control of the disease narrative and especially infection statistics. Accounts of doctors, video bloggers, and ad hoc reporters were deleted. Some bloggers, such as lawyer Chen Qiushi, welder Fang Bin, and human rights activist Hu Jia, were detained.... The regime also distributed its new media line: 'Sources of articles must be strictly regulated, independent reporting is strictly prohibited, and the use of nonregulated article sources, particularly self-media, is strictly prohibited.' Social media providers were told they were under “special supervision'....
"This self-serving censorship has highlighted the more fundamental problem of tyranny. Chen Guangcheng, a lawyer and human rights activist who escaped to the US, wrote: 'The Chinese Communist Party has once again proved that authoritarianism is dangerous—not just for human rights but also for public health.' He charged that the CCP 'has succeeded in turning a public health crisis into a health rights catastrophe'....
"A successful conclusion to the epidemic—if infections and deaths soon plateau and start to fall—might minimize memories of the Xi government’s inadequate preparation and slow response. However, economic losses already are huge, in the tens of billions of dollars. And there appears to be no early end to the crisis.... Beijing’s reputation and prestige have suffered.
"Xi and the CCP justify an increasingly authoritarian, even totalitarian regime on the basis of caring for the Chinese people. The COVID-19 crisis has exposed that claim to be a lie. Popular skepticism toward other self-serving government claims will rise in the future.... Ironically, Mao likely would understand the regime’s peril: 'A potentially revolutionary situation exists in any country where the government consistently fails in its obligation to ensure at least a minimally decent standard of life for the great majority of its citizens.'"
February 22, 2020 - "The Maoist totalitarian state is being reborn in China under Xi Jinping.... However, the response of the Chinese government to the COVID-19 virus has undermined the CCP’s credibility — and ultimately may threaten the party’s hold on power....
"The worst pandemic in recent years was Ebola between 2014 and 2016: there were about 28,600 cases and 11,300 deaths.... SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome, infected almost 8,100 and killed roughly 800 people in 2002 to 2003. SARS ... also was a coronavirus that originated in a Chinese 'wet market' that featured the sale of live and wild animals. Beijing’s response to that health crisis was heavily criticized.... The regime was more concerned about presenting an atmosphere of calm and stability during a leadership transition than preventing the spread of a disease of unknown potency and transmissibility....
"However, the Chinese government is making similar mistakes in its response to what is now being called COVID-19.... As of mid-February, the number infected exceeds 73,000, with some 1,900 deaths, assuming Beijing’s statistics are accurate. Some doctors and outside researchers estimated that 100,000 or more Chinese actually have been infected.... Nevertheless, the government’s response has fallen short of that necessary to slow if not stop the disease’s spread.... [T]he Wuhan provincial government. ... failed to report a single infection during the first half of January, which coincided with a local party congress, so as not to discourage attendance.
"Beijing decided to lock down the entire city of 11 million. But the Xi government gave advance notice that it was closing the airport and train station, enabling a flood of people to escape.... Five million Wuhan residents ended up elsewhere in China and beyond.... [T]here currently are more than 80 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen, as well as several provinces, under some form of lock-down/quarantine/isolation — more than 45 million people.
"Lack of transparency and honesty may be the regime’s greatest weakness in fighting COVID-19. The CCP previously gained a reputation for covering up the party’s role in disasters, such as earthquakes and train accidents. The regime also lost credibility attempting to limit the political fall-out during the SARS crisis.
"Current skepticism exploded after the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist who sounded the alarm when he observed the rise in suspicious infections. He was detained by the police and accused of spreading 'false information'.... He then treated patients, catching the virus and dying at age 34. The government sought to defuse public hostility by claiming that he was still alive and being treated even after his death.... Li’s death set off a social media explosion ... millions of comments poured in through Weibo, the Chinese Twitter, and other social media platforms.... Many posts declared 'I want freedom of speech,' which the government removed as quickly as possible. Even some Chinese inclined to trust the government went online to express their anger over his treatment....
"In late January the government relaxed control of private reporting, but that ended quickly as Beijing took control of the disease narrative and especially infection statistics. Accounts of doctors, video bloggers, and ad hoc reporters were deleted. Some bloggers, such as lawyer Chen Qiushi, welder Fang Bin, and human rights activist Hu Jia, were detained.... The regime also distributed its new media line: 'Sources of articles must be strictly regulated, independent reporting is strictly prohibited, and the use of nonregulated article sources, particularly self-media, is strictly prohibited.' Social media providers were told they were under “special supervision'....
"This self-serving censorship has highlighted the more fundamental problem of tyranny. Chen Guangcheng, a lawyer and human rights activist who escaped to the US, wrote: 'The Chinese Communist Party has once again proved that authoritarianism is dangerous—not just for human rights but also for public health.' He charged that the CCP 'has succeeded in turning a public health crisis into a health rights catastrophe'....
"A successful conclusion to the epidemic—if infections and deaths soon plateau and start to fall—might minimize memories of the Xi government’s inadequate preparation and slow response. However, economic losses already are huge, in the tens of billions of dollars. And there appears to be no early end to the crisis.... Beijing’s reputation and prestige have suffered.
"Xi and the CCP justify an increasingly authoritarian, even totalitarian regime on the basis of caring for the Chinese people. The COVID-19 crisis has exposed that claim to be a lie. Popular skepticism toward other self-serving government claims will rise in the future.... Ironically, Mao likely would understand the regime’s peril: 'A potentially revolutionary situation exists in any country where the government consistently fails in its obligation to ensure at least a minimally decent standard of life for the great majority of its citizens.'"
Read more: https://fee.org/articles/why-chinese-communism-could-be-the-final-casualty-of-the-coronavirus/
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