The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
China’s president defends handling of virus outbreak
BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping said Tuesday that his country is being “open, transparent, responsible” in its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, as the number of cases continues to increase.
The death toll has risen to 106 in China, with more than 4,565 cases of infection. Other countries in the region also are reporting more people infected — nearly all of them tourists from China. Governments are facing the stark choice of whether to cut all contact with infected regions and take a massive blow to their economies or rely on increased screenings.
Xi defended his country’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic in a meeting with World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, even as the Chinese mayor at the epicenter of the outbreak apologized for withholding information from the public.
Calling the coronavirus a “demon,” Xi told Tedros that he would not “let a demon hide” as he vouched for his government’s ability to handle the crisis.
In return, China’s official Xinhua News Agency described Tedros as praising Xi for “personally commanding” the outbreak response and “showing excellent leadership.”
Although international experts have largely praised the speed and methods with which Chinese scientists have carried out research into the novel virus, the Communist Party leadership has come under growing criticism about its handling of the epidemic in its critical early days and its politicization of the international public health response.
Xi’s meeting with the WHO chief came a day after the mayor of Wuhan triggered a firestorm by publicly suggesting that he had not been allowed to speak out earlier about the epidemic.
Also Tuesday, Hong Kong announced dramatic measures to stem the flow of mainland Chinese into the territory, closing two railways, ferries and cross-border tour buses. Flights from Hong Kong to mainland China will be slashed by half, and individual visas to Chinese will no longer be issued, starting Thursday.
The number of Chinese citizens on travel lockdown has increased to 54 million with the addition of Shiyan. China is attempting to seal off the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, centered on Wuhan in Hubei province, and cutting all travel links.