the Chinese government has a long track record of controlling information as they see fit.
So, yes, there is concern regarding the flow of information.
That they have announced what’s going on isn’t a deviation of their policy of controlling information. It’s just an acknowledgment that you can’t hide the closure of airports and train stations and a mass influx of patients clogging up hospitals. The information can’t be hidden.
the advantage of this happening in an authoritarian nation is that leaders can snap their fingers and do whatever they want to stop the disease from spreading.
Magiver, the chinese government has publicly been releasing information since late Dec. Or about a month before shutting down some transportation. I suspect shutting down transportation had more to do with Chinese new year and the largest mass migration that takes place annually than if there were no new years travel by hundreds of millions of people, and large gatherings of more than a billion people.
The government undoubtedly controls information, but is this case where the obvious explanation is to be as transparent as possible into to prevent mass hysteria that could directly threaten the rule of the CCP, as well as impact the export export machine that also legitimizes the government. Anything else is trending into conspiracy territory
Magiver, the chinese government has publicly been releasing information since late Dec. Or about a month before shutting down some transportation. I suspect shutting down transportation had more to do with Chinese new year and the largest mass migration that takes place annually than if there were no new years travel by hundreds of millions of people, and large gatherings of more than a billion people.
The government undoubtedly controls information, but is this case where the obvious explanation is to be as transparent as possible into to prevent mass hysteria that could directly threaten the rule of the CCP, as well as impact the export export machine that also legitimizes the government. Anything else is trending into conspiracy territory
I didn’t remember which kind of deadly poison it was. I recall that it was some liquid they soaked a cloth or handkerchief and then rubbed that all over his face. They thought they were playing some kind of practical joke. But he then died a most painful - even excrutiating - death.
He was related to the dear leader of NK and as I recall, the leader either feared he would attempt a coup or was angered with him and felt he had the right to murder him. He may well have had the right - but not outside of his country. I believe it happened at some Asian airport and I don’t believe anyone was ever brought to justice for that murder.
Anything that threatens the rule of the CCP about sums it up.
There is no conspiracy theory behind their heavy handed control of what the public is allowed to know. It’s a fact. Regardless of what information they provide it will always be tainted by their control of the media.
Magiver, you might be missing my point. We are in agreement that the Chinese government has a heavy handed control of the media, although one could argue the degree.
In this instance, controlling the outbreak as well as spinning the perception is unquestionably in the best interest of the Government and CCP. Anything else simply doesn’t make sense and is conspiracy theory territory. Which is to say that China and the world is aligned on getting thru this crisis as quickly and effectively as possible.
Hate to do “whataboutism”, but the current US administration is hardly a trusted source now either.
So let’s do it case by case.
And in this case, most international observers agree that the government has moved quickly and been very forthcoming.
I was wondering why work seemingly ceased. My brief research looking at papers on the subject indicated that one trial in primates resulted in severe pulmonary issues, presumably above and beyond that caused by the bug.
A coronavirus sounds like many other biological weapons: long incubation period, with asymptomatic carriers able to spread the disease; decent R0 somewhere above 2; mortality rate in the lower teens, according to the study I cited on the last page. Doesn’t mean this bug is one, of course.
I guess what has people spooked about this is two-fold: first, the actions of the Chinese government do not match a government concerned about a disease less virulent than the flu. Second, if China is materially affected, what is this going to do to all of the rest of the countries in the world that are dependent on Chinese finished goods and raw materials?
The US has a free press so the source of information is independent of the government. It’s based on the very first amendment which is considered the foundation of all other amendments that follow. No administration controls the press.
China controls the flow of information at their discretion. International observers are allowed to see what China allows them to see. Any validation from their observations is limited to that process. It could be accurate. Or not.
I’m not sure what your point is. Mine is a simple observation that China controls the flow of information and therefore we have no way of verifying the accuracy of coming from a non-independent media.
Or Professor Ferguson is roughly correct and the true number of cases is up to 50 times the number currently labeled as such due to undiagnosed mild and subclinical infections. With actual mortality rate more like 0.06%. But hard to contain.