Xi Jinping has visited the particularly badly affected city of Wuhan for the first time since the outbreak of the novel corona virus. The first cases were reported in the metropolis in central China in December. Xi was recorded in the state media on Tuesday during a visit to a hospital and a video call with doctors and patients. So far, only Prime Minister Li Keqiang had traveled to the epicenter. He is considered to be relatively powerless in the political hierarchy. Xi’s visit to Wuhan is interpreted as a sign: Beijing apparently wants to make it clear that it believes the epidemic has been brought under control.
Infection numbers decrease
In social media, users quickly shared the scene from a television series in which an emperor from the Qing Dynasty was advised not to lead troops unless the victory was already certain. President Xi Jinping’s visit is also interpreted as a signal to companies that have continued to partially shut down to resume production and business. The next step would be to announce a new date for the People’s Congress. The important political meeting, which normally takes place in early March, was postponed until further notice in late February.
China has again reported only a slight increase in infections this week, although there are doubts about the exact numbers. The authorities have adjusted the counting method several times. For example, infected people who have no symptoms or only have a clinical diagnosis without test results are not counted among the number of newly infected people. Regardless of this, however, there has been a clear downward trend in the number of illnesses for some time now. The government recorded only 19 new cases across the country between Monday and Tuesday. Only two of them outside of Wuhan. 16 of the 17 newly reported fatalities also died there. The number of deaths in mainland China is now 3,136. A total of 80,754 infections have been reported in China. Almost 60,000 patients are said to have already been discharged from the hospital, and 17,000 are still to be treated.
The Chinese embassy is warning Australian journalists that the virus comes from China.
The trip Xis should also be connected to developments abroad, where the number of illnesses is increasing rapidly. The Chinese government has experienced an unusual level of criticism and dissatisfaction in recent weeks. The head of state almost completely disappeared from the public eye for a week in February. Only when the situation improved again did the state media emphasize the leadership of the party leader and the supposed efficiency of the Chinese government system during the crisis.
In a speech in early February, which President Xi later published, the party leader said that he had given “continuous oral and written instructions” since early January and personally ordered Wuhan’s isolation. The state media called the party leader the “commander of the entire situation” at the weekend. The comparison with other countries plays an increasingly important role in reporting.
Chinese remain angry
In a press conference last week, the Chinese government had for the first time expressed the suspicion at the highest level that the pathogen could not come from China. Anything is possible, including the introduction from abroad, said a spokesman for the State Department.
In Australia, the Chinese embassy sent warnings to journalists who wrote that the virus was discovered in China, calling it “highly irresponsible,” “politicizing” the crisis and making a statement without any evidence.
At the same time, the population continues to be angry about the authorities’ initial crisis management. A Chinese magazine published a report on a doctor on Tuesday. She was one of the medical professionals who was the first to notice the outbreak in Wuhan, but who were then handicapped by the authorities. The piece was deleted after a few minutes, but was repeatedly copied and reshared by thousands of Internet users. Many people accuse the leadership of reacting too late. Beijing has partly admitted this, but the local government alone is responsible for it.
Created: 10/03/2020, 10:00 PM
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