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China Briefing | Coronavirus: what Xi fears most is Chinese turning on the Communist Party
- It’s not just lives, health and the economy that are threatened by the deadly disease.
- China’s authoritarian centralised system of rule is, too
Reading Time:5 minutes
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Back on January 21 last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping told a gathering of senior officials that they must be on guard against “black swans” and “grey rhinos” which could threaten the rule of the Communist Party amid a slowing economy.
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At that time, Xi’s use of animal metaphors sparked discussions among observers who generally interpreted his warnings as being related to different kinds of economic risks. “Black swans” are events that cannot be predicted but have a profound impact on markets, while “grey rhinos” are known risks that have the potential to cause great harm but which people choose to ignore.
One year later, Xi’s wildlife metaphors about the dangers facing the country have proved prophetic on a more literal level.
Scientists and medical experts have pinned down bats as the probable source of the coronavirus outbreak originating from a wet market which has stalls for trading wildlife animals in Wuhan of Hubei province. The bats are believed to have infected other animals which transmitted the virus to humans.
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Banning the sale of all wild animals is the least of the concerns facing Chinese leaders. How to contain the spread of the coronavirus is their top priority.
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