His “thought”, enshrined in the Chinese Constitution, was supposed to be infallible. The communist regime had, according to him, proven its overwhelming superiority over Western democracies thanks to its “victory” over the Covid-19.
Three years after the start of the pandemic, in Wuhan, Xi Jinping’s rhetoric seems more inconsistent than ever. Admittedly, China has long contained the number of victims with its “zero Covid” strategy. But today it is the only major country in the world to still struggle dramatically with the epidemic.
Faced with the poor performance of an economy paralyzed by confinement and the discontent expressed in the street, the all-powerful president lifted all health restrictions overnight, going from one extreme to another.
Up to a million deaths possible
Problem, the Chinese power, which castigated the “chaos” in the West, seems to have prepared nothing. As the wave of contamination breaks, only 40% of people over 80 have received a third dose of vaccine; the country does not have messenger RNA vaccines, lacks drugs, and its hospital system is not ready. China could deplore up to a million deaths, according to several studies, if it does not launch an adequate plan. The credibility of the Chinese leader, who prided himself on protecting human life, is at stake. But the regime has found a solution: the death tolls already seem totally underestimated (while the activity of crematoriums is increasing in Beijing, according to Reuters).
Supported this year on a line rendered inoperative by the contagiousness of the Omicron variant, Xi lost precious time. The myth of the super-efficiency of autocrats in times of crisis has been shattered.