@weststigers said in [Coronavirus Outbreak](/post/1131371) said:
but the Chinese government should be slammed for trying to keep a lid on their doctors during the initial outbreak. Given the carnage this has and will cause, people have every right to be angry about it.
It was incredibly irresponsible of them if nothing else and now the rest of us have to pay the bill.
I think most people agree with you in terms of China handling the outbreak poorly. They aren't alone. Most countries reacted poorly and most did not have the experience with SARS and MERS that have assisted some Asian countries in responding more rapidly. Some Asian countries also have cultural advantages about "taking orders" and consideration of others, respect for elders etc., which can help curb hoarding, help increase compliance.
I think most Australians can easily separate between the Chinese people, including Chinese-Australians, and China as a Communist Power.
I certainly don't trust the Chinese government when it comes to dealing with Australian interests, and why should I? They have shown great self-interested and, at times, deceit for the past 20 years. I don't like the way they try to police their own people. I do not think that China is as worried about the ROW as it is worried about itself. They are not even a legitimate Communist regime, because of the disparity between the haves and have-nots. China is basically run by Capitalist Socialist Ideologists.
That all being said, all the criticism in the world is probably going to have no impact whatsoever on the Chinese Authorities. They don't listen to Westerners as it is. There will be a huge reckoning in 1-2 years from now, when the pandemic has come under control and every government goes back to try and learn from the lessons observed. Italy will overhaul it's hospital and aged-care systems. The EU will reconsider its border strategies given how quickly the virus exploded there. Basically every Western school in the world will need to implement a permanent learn-from-home strategy that can be implemented in times of crisis.
The Chinese? They'll do something or other to try and show the world they have learned from corona, because that's now 2 viral pandemics (SARS and COVID-19) that have emerged from China. They may ban wet markets and reduce live-food trade. They have the ability to very aggressively police anything they choose to. There will be high global political pressure on those wet markets and other Chinese wildlife practices. Perhaps the Chinese population itself will be spooked and avoid those markets, in much the same way that the British recoiled from beef during mad cow, or the way that most Japanese don't seek whale meat any more.
