(Reuters Breakingviews) - China’s political system has weak immunity to viruses....
Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital, where the patients with pneumonia caused by the new strain of coronavirus are being treated, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China January 10, 2020. Picture taken January 10, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer CHINA OUT
Concealing epidemics, environmental crises, and product scandals was once reflexive behaviour for local governments. Burying bad news can head off career-ending popular protests. Now officials must manage the flow of facts and rumour about a virus that emerged in Wuhan, a large city in central China.
Beijing scored transparency points with its handling of the H7N9 avian flu in 2013, but then fumbled its response to African swine flu, which some officials initially tried to cover up. Around half of China’s herd had to be culled.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
China’s viral immune system open to economic poxA bungled swine flu cover-up doubled pork prices last year, taxing the poor. Now a human virus is panicking citizens before the start of what’s usually a $150 bln holiday spending boom. President Xi’s anti-corruption campaign has made officials less venal, not more credible.
Read more »
Mexican official eyes stronger ties with China after U.S. trade dealMexico should move to deepen its economic ties with China after U.S. congression...
Read more »
China revises up GDP growth for 2014-2018, on track to double economyChina has revised up its economic growth by 0.1 percentage points each year betw...
Read more »
17 More People Diagnosed With Deadly Viral Pneumonia in China62 cases of the novel coronavirus have been identified in the city of Wuhan
Read more »
China reports 17 new cases in viral pneumonia outbreakSeventeen more people in central China have been diagnosed with a new form of viral pneumonia that has killed two patients and placed other countries on alert
Read more »