China's state council's white paper propagandises anti-epidemic "achievements" without acknowledging whistleblower Dr Li Wenliang

(7 Jun)Today, China's State Council Information Office released a white paper entitled "Fighting COVID-19: China in Action", which declared China a "victim nation" of COVID-19 that deserved fair treatment and was "not to be blamed". It expressed firm opposition against the stigmatization and politicization of the pandemic. The white paper claimed that when the pandemic began, China "provided clear and explicit information to the international community". However, it blatantly omitted the fact that Chinese provincial officials prevented hospitals from reporting cases of the virus. It also neglected to mention ophthalmologist Dr Li Wenliang being exposed to the epidemic and reprimanded by Wuhan authorities. This is an obvious cover-up of the situation's reality.

The white paper consists of 35,000 words and is divided into four sections [with the following titles]: "China's Fight against the Epidemic: A Test of Fire", "Well-Coordinated Prevention, Control and Treatment", "Assembling a Powerful Force to Beat the Virus" and "Building a Global Community of Health for All."

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to suspend debts of 77 countries in an attempt to make friends amid the pandemic

Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu stated today that China is working with the G20 nations to implement a "debt relief initiative for the poorest countries" and had already announced a debt moratorium for 77 developing countries and regions. However, he did not disclose the exact amount. Ma added that China had also provided the World Health Organization (WHO) with two payments totalling US$50 million (approx. HK$3.9 trillion).In the next two years, China will offer US$2 billion (approx. HK$15.6 billion) to countries affected by COVID-19 for economic and social recovery.

Chinese authorities claim to be open and transparent, deny COVID-19 cover-up

The white paper claimed that on 27 Dec last year, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese & Western Medicine reported unexplained cases of pneumonia to the centre for disease control and prevention of Jianghan District of Wuhan. In the early morning of 31 Dec, the National Health Commission sent a task force and a team of experts to Wuhan. On 3 Jan this year, it informed the WHO, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and relevant countries and regional organizations of the epidemic. On 4 Jan, the US was informed. On 11 Jan, the WHO received an update.

This March, however, the New York Times revealed that when the unknown cases of pneumonia emerged in Wuhan last December, local health officials instructed hospitals not to arbitrarily report them. The reports had to be approved by officials first and only patients associated with the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market were allowed to be counted. It was not until Dr Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital, publicised the outbreak and relevant DNA reports that the world understood the severity of the matter and took preventative action. The authorities maintained the cover-up until February, when the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a press conference to claim that they had notified the US on 3 Jan.

Authorities deny falsification of statistics despite multiple modifications to the tally

The white paper also mentioned that beginning on 2 Feb, Wuhan utilised "four categories of personnel" for patient management under the guidance of China’s Central Guiding Team as follows: "confirmed", "suspected", "fever" and "close contacts". This was to reinforce the screening and treatment process per requirements to "take in, treat, screen and quarantine as many as possible". Wuhan's hospitals had a bed shortage at the time, however. Some patients could not be tested despite going to the hospital; many died of the virus outside the hospital and were promptly cremated. These patients were excluded from the number of deaths caused by COVID-19.

The white paper reproved, "The baseless accusation that China concealed epidemic information and death figures is a calculated slur on the 1.4 billion Chinese people, including those killed by the virus, and on millions of Chinese medical workers. China categorically rejects any such accusation. It is both irresponsible and immoral to play the blame game in an attempt to cover up one‟s own shortcomings. China will never accept any frivolous lawsuits or compensation claims."

Xu Lin, deputy minister of the Central Propaganda Department, responded to external criticism during the press conference for the [white paper's] announcement. He said that the Chinese media's reports on the epidemic were impartial and based on facts; accusations of false propaganda were inaccurate and totally ill-founded. Xu criticized the foreign politicians and media that politicised the pandemic and sensationalised theories of its "Chinese origin" and "China's cover-up", among others, without any scientific backing.

Furthermore, the white paper pointed out that as of 31 May, the cost of treating 58,000 inpatients with confirmed infections nationwide totalled RMB1.35 billion (approx. HK$1.4 billion), or RMB23,000 (approx. HK$25,000) per person. Among those, the per capita treatment cost for patients in severe condition surpassed RMB150,000 (approx. HK$160,000). In some critical cases, the individual cost was hundreds of thousands or even exceeded  RMB1 million, all covered by the state. The white paper also illustrated that up to 92% of the confirmed cases utilised Chinese herbal formulas and drugs as part of their treatment. In Hubei Province, Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment proved effective in more than 90% of confirmed cases.

Source: Apple Daily 

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