Many scared local residents cooped up at home in Wuhan are angry about what is happening. But there is little open criticism of how Xi himself has managed the crisis, which was itself kept off the front page of Communist Party mouthpieces such as the People’s Daily until last week. Nonetheless, Adam Ni, a China researcher at Macquarie University, says the Communist Party’s prestige and legitimacy are both still on the line. “Having realised just how serious this is, and how potentially destabilising it is for the party, the party is now scrambling to fully mobilise resources to tackle the crisis," he wrote this week. Coronavirus infection projections Les Hewitt "Ultimately, the Chinese people are likely to judge the party harshly despite the party’s efforts at narrative control.” The health crisis has also put the spotlight on consolidation of government power since Xi became president in 2012. His move […]