The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Garbage collector mistakes sex doll for corpse

  • 3

    Netflix announces password sharing crackdown in Korea

  • 5

    Samsung unveils new Galaxy S23 smartphone

  • 7

    Major webtoon platforms' fight against piracy

  • 9

    4 South Korean activists arrested for executing orders from Pyongyang

  • 11

    Japanese comic series 'Slam Dunk' enjoys resurgence on back of animated film

  • 13

    President pledges support for Korean chipmakers to overcome crisis

  • 15

    $120,000 banana, praying Hitler: Infamous art world prankster Maurizio Cattelan's first Seoul outing

  • 17

    Korea's presidential couple celebrates recovery of Cambodian boy who received heart surgery

  • 19

    Retired actress Shim Eun-ha denies rumor of return

  • 2

    Free subway rides for elderly emerge as headache for Seoul mayor

  • 4

    Korea seeks measures to better protect foreign workers

  • 6

    Seoul city council under fire for sexual conduct guidelines for teachers

  • 8

    Retailers return to Myeong-dong as more foreign tourists visit

  • 10

    Is non-consensual sex not rape?

  • 12

    ENHYPEN-inspired webtoon 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' surpasses 100 million views

  • 14

    INTERVIEWA touch of authenticity in Korea's Mexican cuisine scene

  • 16

    Income gap widening among workers

  • 18

    China imposes mandatory virus tests for arrivals from Korea only in latest protest over curbs

  • 20

    Space industry takes off in South Jeolla Province

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Opinion
  • Yun Byung-se
  • Kim Won-soo
  • Ahn Ho-young
  • Kim Sang-woo
  • Lee Kyung-hwa
  • Mitch Shin
  • Peter S. Kim
  • Daniel Shin
  • Jeon Su-mi
  • Jang Daul
  • Song Kyung-jin
  • Park Jung-won
  • Cho Hee-kyoung
  • Park Chong-hoon
  • Kim Sung-woo
  • Donald Kirk
  • John Burton
  • Robert D. Atkinson
  • Mark Peterson
  • Eugene Lee
  • Rushan Ziatdinov
  • Lee Jong-eun
  • Chyung Eun-ju and Joel Cho
  • Bernhard J. Seliger
  • Imran Khalid
  • Troy Stangarone
  • Jason Lim
  • Casey Lartigue, Jr.
  • Bernard Rowan
  • Steven L. Shields
  • Deauwand Myers
  • John J. Metzler
  • Andrew Hammond
  • Sandip Kumar Mishra
Fri, February 3, 2023 | 11:45
Lee Seong-hyon
How COVID-19 strengthened Xi's power
Posted : 2020-12-22 16:50
Updated : 2020-12-22 20:58
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By Lee Seong-hyon

The two most important events for China in 2020 were COVID-19 and the U.S.-China conflict. Chinese leader Xi Jinping used COVID-19 to strengthen his power. U.S. President Donald Trump ignored COVID-19, and lost power. Pandemic politics is a renewed discipline of academic interest for researchers to dwell on.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a non-security issue, and there was consensus on the need for cooperation in the international community. Yet the U.S.-China relationship became antagonized over the origin and the matter of placing responsibility for COVID-19, further exacerbating the bilateral discord that has already been severely punctured since 2018, starting from the trade war.

On Jan. 9,, China's state-run tabloid Global Times argued that China gained "collective confidence" through the U.S.-China trade war, and that "the more we fight, the stronger we become." That was in the early period of the pandemic.

However, the coronavirus, which spread more widely afterwards, not only threatened the legitimacy of China's Communist Party system, but also became so serious that even the possibility of the dismissal of Xi was entertained among international pundits. Culturally speaking, the idea is not entirely impossible, because in the ancient Confucian tradition, the arrival of a natural disaster was often associated with the emperor's "lack of virtue."

The Chinese authorities did what they do well. They took sweeping measures. The government tried to stem the situation by completely blocking the entire city of Wuhan where the virus started, followed by intense quarantine measures.

When Xi first visited Wuhan, it was in March. He was criticized on Chinese social media for avoiding responsibility by not visiting Wuhan in January or February when Wuhan faced the worst coronavirus situation. Xi tried to create a friendly public opinion for him, with the state propaganda apparatus kicking into full swing.

"Xi Jinping 'personally directs and personally arranges'" (qinzi zhihui, qinzi bushu) became the daily mantra by the state media, in describing how the nation fights the virus.

As the U.S.-China conflict extended to ideology and political systems, Xi also underscored the superiority of the socialist system in dealing with the virus over the capitalist system. He said, "Institutional superiority is the country's greatest advantage."

As China's "quarantine war" proceeded effectively, China upped its international promotion of the superiority of its political system. The People's Daily read: "The active, efficient, open and transparent measures taken by the Chinese government gained admiration from people from around the world."

The state-controlled China Daily said, "International community, full of confidence in China's response to the plague." Qiushi, the ideological theory publication of the Chinese Communist Party, also said that China took "the responsibility of a great power" and sent a "reassurance pill" (dingxinwan) to the world, contributing to the public health management of the world. It was the period when China engaged in massive "mask diplomacy."

China appears to have controlled the coronavirus earlier than other countries, and the early economic recovery data, seen from the second quarter, gave Xi and the Communist Party leadership the grounds to reclaim authority. China's GDP in the first quarter fell sharply to minus 6.8 percent, but in the second quarter, it grew 3.2 percent. It recorded 4.9 percent in the third quarter and is expected to grow by 8 percent in the fourth quarter. Its economy is nearly set to recover to the pre-pandemic level. China is also seen as the only major economy in the world to achieve a clear "V" recovery from COVID-19.

The Chinese government also implemented a strict QR code measure that records citizens' personal information and movement data through the Health Code smartphone app, also an electronic pass permit. It also installed facial recognition cameras in apartment compounds in cities. The necessity of virus prevention has served as a convenient opportunity for the Chinese government to strengthen its Orwellian digital control over society.

In summary, in this year's COVID-19 pandemic, Xi's personal power has been strengthened. The Chinese government's digital control over Chinese society has been further solidified with little civic resistance. The Chinese Communist Party leadership also made good use of the Trump government's pressure against China to drum up nationalism and patriotism among the Chinese people to improve national unity. Xi won, Trump lost. And it was the virus that made the whole difference. Will Biden make a difference next year?


Lee Seong-hyon , Ph.D.(sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), is director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute.


 
Top 10 Stories
1Samsung unveils new Galaxy S23 smartphone Samsung unveils new Galaxy S23 smartphone
2Seoul city council under fire for sexual conduct guidelines for teachers Seoul city council under fire for sexual conduct guidelines for teachers
3[INTERVIEW] A touch of authenticity in Korea's Mexican cuisine scene INTERVIEWA touch of authenticity in Korea's Mexican cuisine scene
4Pyongyang threatens eye-for-eye response as US B-1B bombers join drills in South KoreaPyongyang threatens eye-for-eye response as US B-1B bombers join drills in South Korea
5Police to introduce new measures to better handle intoxicated people Police to introduce new measures to better handle intoxicated people
6Gov't announces measures to cope with shortage of surgeons Gov't announces measures to cope with shortage of surgeons
7[INTERVIEW] 'Extended deterrence is best option to ensure peace on Korean Peninsula' INTERVIEW'Extended deterrence is best option to ensure peace on Korean Peninsula'
8[INTERVIEW] US-NK summit is unlikely in 2023: Korea Society INTERVIEWUS-NK summit is unlikely in 2023: Korea Society
9[INTERVIEW] IMF expects no recession for Korean economy INTERVIEWIMF expects no recession for Korean economy
10Taxi passengers in Seoul taken aback by fare increase Taxi passengers in Seoul taken aback by fare increase
Top 5 Entertainment News
1Major webtoon platforms' fight against piracy Major webtoon platforms' fight against piracy
2ENHYPEN-inspired webtoon 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' surpasses 100 million views ENHYPEN-inspired webtoon 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' surpasses 100 million views
3$120,000 banana, praying Hitler: Infamous art world prankster Maurizio Cattelan's first Seoul outing $120,000 banana, praying Hitler: Infamous art world prankster Maurizio Cattelan's first Seoul outing
4PULL UP: VIVIZ returns with new song about gossipers PULL UP: VIVIZ returns with new song about gossipers
5Park Hyung-sik to play crown prince in tvN series 'Our Blooming Youth' Park Hyung-sik to play crown prince in tvN series 'Our Blooming Youth'
DARKROOM
  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

  • World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

    World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group