The anti-Chinese sentiment recently seen in many nations reflected not only health concerns, but also anger over long-term friction between China and other countries, a report by a think tank affiliated with the Ministry of National Defense said.
If the impact of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which originated in Wuhan, China, worsens, it could result in a new wave of anti-Chinese sentiment worldwide, the Institute for National Defense and Security Research said in the report released on Friday.
Since the start of the outbreak, the Chinese government has been slow to act, its policies have lacked transparency and it has tried to hide information about the virus’ spread, all of which had caused public panic and hastened the epidemic, the report said.
The result is that China has lost control of the situation, it said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) centralization of power and war on corruption had caused Chinese officials to act for their own protection and to avoid taking action during a crisis, rather than be blamed later for doing the wrong thing, the report said.
Despite a surge in the number of reported infections on Jan. 18 and 19, Xi did not bring up the outbreak in his talks with authorities in Myanmar during his state visit.
Xi responded to the outbreak on Jan. 20, but has yet to visit Wuhan, thereby failing to create an image of “the people’s leader,” the report said.
Anti-Chinese sentiment had already been seen by stores and hotels in many countries refusing Chinese customers, and petitions calling for Chinese visitors to be barred from entry to several countries, the report said.
Friction between China and other countries that had led to this sentiment has been caused by Chinese military expansionism, and Beijing’s economic influence, it said.
Recent statements from the WHO praising China’s handling of the outbreak has made many people aware of China’s influence over that organization, as well as many others, the report said.
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