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President Xi Jinping He praised China’s success in suppressing the pandemic first discovered on its soil, even as confirmed infections globally were approaching 30 million.
In a pompous ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi personally awarded medals to citizens who are considered to have played a pivotal role in China’s fight against the virus identified in December. Wuhan. While other nations grapple with the outbreaks, China has not reported an internal infection in 22 days and Xi has paid increasing attention to boosting the ailing economy.
The proceedings ignored criticism of Beijing’s early response to the pandemic, which initially appeared to threaten the legitimacy of the Communist Party before China contained the virus. Xi did not mention the roughly three weeks that passed in January between efforts to censor the first warnings from doctors about human-to-human transmission and China’s official recognition of the risk of infection.
The president took advantage of China’s relative success to promote the merits of the one-party government. “The strong leadership of the CCP is the most reliable backbone when a storm hits,” Xi said in a speech that lasted for more than 70 minutes. “The pandemic once again demonstrates the superiority of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.”
Xi also said that China will continue to support the WHO to play a “leading role in the global fight against Covid-19.” “All selfishness, scapegoat and confusing good and evil will not only harm a country and its people, but it will harm people of all countries,” Xi said, in an apparent attack on the United States, which has been so critical of China and WHO.
China honored some 1,500 people for their contribution in the fight against the virus, including medical and military personnel. But online, the Chinese lamented the lack of mention of Li Wenliang, the Wuhan doctor who was reprimanded by police for alerting his colleagues to the then little-known virus, and who later died from Covid-19. According to official figures, there have been 4,733 deaths from viruses in China.
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