Growing Calls for Accountability Among COVID-19 Leadership in China... Xi Jinping's Initial Response Deemed Inadequate

Hong Kong Ming Pao Criticizes Delayed Response of Chinese Leadership

"Xi Jinping Tried Not to Ruin the Lunar New Year Atmosphere, Which Escalated the Situation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Amid ongoing controversy over the initial response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), calls for accountability from China's top leadership, including President Xi Jinping, are growing.

According to Hong Kong's Ming Pao on the 17th, as criticism intensified that President Xi failed to respond properly during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese state media actively issued explanations.

The report states that the Chinese Communist Party theoretical journal Qiushi published the full remarks of President Xi at the Politburo Standing Committee meeting on February 3rd, mentioning that a meeting to address COVID-19 was held as early as January 7th.

President Xi said, "After the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, on January 7th, I presided over a Politburo Standing Committee meeting and gave instructions on pneumonia prevention and control work," indicating that he had taken proactive measures early on.

However, Ming Pao pointed out that the facts differ from this account.

Citing sources in Beijing, Ming Pao reported that at the end of December last year, when cases of pneumonia of unknown cause appeared in Wuhan, Hubei Province, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched an investigation.

According to Ming Pao, after completing the investigation, the CDC informed the central leadership and the National Health Commission that "there is a high risk of transmission of pneumonia of unknown cause through respiratory routes, so immediate quarantine measures must be taken." However, at the Politburo Standing Committee meeting chaired by President Xi, COVID-19 response was not a major agenda item.

At that meeting, President Xi reportedly instructed, "Pay attention to preventive measures, but do not create excessive fear that would spoil the upcoming Lunar New Year atmosphere."

Despite the fact that human-to-human transmission of COVID-19 was already occurring, Hubei Province held the large-scale political event known as the Two Sessions (National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference), and Wuhan City held a massive Lunar New Year event called 'Wanjia Yan' on January 19th, inviting more than 40,000 families to the city center.

Contrary to the complacent response of the Chinese leadership and local governments, Chinese health experts consistently warned about the risks of COVID-19.

Experts such as Director Gao Fu published papers related to COVID-19 in international academic journals to raise awareness, and Zhong Nanshan, the top authority on respiratory diseases in China and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, publicly warned on January 20th that "human-to-human transmission exists."

Three days later, on January 23rd, the 'Wuhan lockdown' was imposed, but by then COVID-19 had already rapidly spread throughout Wuhan, Hubei Province, and across China. Subsequently, Chinese officials and party cadres appeared busy avoiding responsibility.

A source in Beijing criticized, "This incident was not due to health experts failing in their responsibilities as seen from the outside, but because there were serious judgment errors in the decisions and execution at the highest levels of power."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.