Chaguan – Chinese propagandists are trapped by their own rhetoric | China

THe notices have not yet arrived, but it is safe to say that a battle against the epidemic: China Fighting covid-19 in 2020 has the ingredients for a bestseller. A project overseen by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party, the next hardcover book is presented as a tribute to the outstanding president of President Xi Jinpings in the fight against the new coronavirus. With Mr. Xi already dubbed the Peoples War Commander against Covid-19 by the official media, it would be a bold party committee or government office that would not order a copy. Still, those who wish to reserve one in advance will need patience, as the volume has suddenly disappeared from the Peoples Publishing House online catalogs. When the book comes back in some form, as it probably will, the content may have changed a bit. Because the propaganda leaders must rethink their rhetoric on Covid-19, because they cannot hope to be up to it.

Since January, hundreds of millions of Chinese have spent weeks in locked villages and towns, barred from meeting friends and family. Some have had to send children to school at home. Others live on savings until their workplace reopens. While browsing social media for news, many normally apolitical citizens were irritated by reports of official cover-ups and incompetence, or by viral videos on smartphones showing security forces violently enforcing quarantines. The same citizens were then shocked to see controversial reports suppressed before their eyes by the censors.

Anxious to rally a frightened public, Chinese leaders declared total war on the devil virus a few weeks ago. It will end, they promise, with a complete victory. State and party news outlets have called doctors and nurses warriors dressed in white and fearless. Doctors killed by the virus have been hailed as battlefield martyrs.

Although China is nothing like a free press, more independent voices can be heard, whether it be bloggers or a few large commercial press agencies that are pushing the boundaries of what can be reported. The epidemic has had particularly courageous work Caixin, a trade publication whose commercial backers include tech giant Tencent and has high-profile fans among them (rumored) Wang Qishan, Chinese vice president and former anti-war chief corruption. The publication sent several teams to Wuhan, the city at the center of the epidemic. They reported that authorities had stifled news of tests carried out in December that discovered the new virus, and then removed evidence that it could go from human to human. Editorials in Caixin argued that transparency is the key to gaining public trust, because suppressing the truth fuels panic.

Caixins the reports have been deleted several times by the censors. However, and somewhat unexpectedly, his calls to the public also deserve praise from the party press. Perhaps it is because greater honesty is the only way out of the trap created by the Hebrew promises of total victory. On February 20, when almost all of the confirmed cases of covid-19 were within the country's borders, the China Daily boasted, without the unique institutional advantages of the Chinese system, the world could be wrestling with a devastating pandemic. Now, the virus has been detected in more than 70 countries, and in the past few days, travelers have been found in China with infections detected abroad. This virus will exist for a long time, perhaps forever. Someone will have to disclose this to the Chinese public.

Hu Xijin is editor-in-chief of Global Times, an explosive tabloid under the Peoples Daily, the official mouth of the party. Hu notes that his own reports have revealed cases of jostling officials from Wuhan. But he concedes that CaixinS's performance on the investigative front really stood out. Caixins the work gives state media a source of self-reflection, he adds: the government press should have played a supervisory role when the city, provincial and state health authorities countries made mistakes at the start of the epidemic.

We asked him how he thought Caixin Got out with his reporting on limit testing during this crisis, Hu describes a mysterious process by which the Chinese media sense the political trends of the day and try to align their work with the needs of society at that time, as he says. Turn on the power at the right time and success can follow, he explains. If sometimes you miss, the results can be very different.

A provocateur who likes to explain to Western journalists how wrong they are, Hu is calm about the challenge of admitting that virus epidemics can continue long after China relaxes strict quarantine rules. If we have to change our strategy, we can change at any time, says the editor, venturing that the Chinese are practical, want to go back to work and live in a country with better antivirus controls than France, Germany, Italy or South High Risk Korea. They want to get rid of the virus. But if it cannot be defeated, we must accept it also.

If in doubt, get started

True to nationalist form, in recent days, Global Times accused Western nations of failing to learn from resolute policies from China as the world prepares for a protracted war against the virus. Tut-tutting on the cost of healthcare in America, the tabloid asked, if a superpower fails to control covid-19 simply because many people cannot afford treatment, then can this country really to be great again?

Key Chinese leaders are more subtle about sharing the blame, but still find it difficult to note that fighting viruses is now a collective and global challenge. Meeting with scientists on March 2, Xi talked about the battle of humanity against disease and the tasks that await humanity. Such language is not as touching as the books on China alone that save the world. But right now, the task is to sell something that is not a total victory to a frightened Chinese audience, many of whom are wary of official public health assurances. Blaming the world is a good start.

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the title "Total Incredulity"