Chinese President Xi Jinping is conducting a war on three fronts: to control and eventually reduce the spread of COVID-19 within China, shut down discussion about the failings of the one-party state and its authoritarian institutions, and salvage his personal standing and reputation.
Although China is not out of the woods, the good news is that new cases of infections are slowing. With respect to the second and third fronts, Beijing has shifted from defence to offence in boasting to the world about its decisive and extreme response.
Galling as it is that Beijing refuses to admit any fault, global co-operation to contain the virus and find a vaccine — including with China — is essential. But the ¬Chinese Communist Party is also promoting itself as a model to much of the developing world. Putative leaders who cannot acknowledge errors cannot exercise effective leadership.
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