In any country, seven doctor fro ma hospital could order/initiate a complete military level lockdown of a few million city, and kill all economic activity in the given area ?
That is not a concern in China because nobody thinks the government is just trying to cling to power because nobody can connect the dots from virus outbreak to the government losing power. It is only the Western spin machine media that tries to make it look like anything will cause the collapse of the CCP. "Chinese virus threatens the stability of the CCP" "Can China's government hold onto power with the stock market drop?" "Trade war could cause the Chinese people to finally rebel against the CCP." All that is wishful thinking nonsense and has no place in the considerations of the CCP, whose power is unchallengeable and indisputable in China and whose only task is protecting the Chinese people and raising the Chinese nation.
There was one Wuhan official (the Mayor, I believe) who said that he could not disclose info regarding the pandemic to the public unless Beijing approves.
But the original reaction is what triggered massive anger on Chinese social media. The regime's legitimacy could be at risk because of the original reaction. Not apologizing to the 8 falsely accused doctors is suicidal politically. The people are already under lots of stress, and they are actively looking for something/someone to blame. The last thing Beijing should do is to become that target. A mistake is a mistake, and acknowledging your mistake is one way of restoring your legitimacy.
That's correct. Do not say things without confirmation. People have said an insane amount of things without actually knowing what's true or false; some people saying the virus was manufactured in the US; others say in China. Some say it has ties with HIV. Some say it has an incubation of 14 days; others say 2 days. Some say the virus can be transmitted in the asymptomatic phase; others say it cannot. Some people say there is no evidence for human-to-human transmission. There is so much junk out there, people should just shut up and wait for the official statements, which should be from qualified scientists in China's CDC, instructed upon the individual outlets through the direction of Beijing. That is how you get your point out to the public without causing a web of fear-mongering garbage.
No, the regime's legitimacy is not at risk, nor does anybody think it is inside China. You are making shit up right now right along the lines of Western media which claims if the wind blows wrong, the CCP is at risk. There is no more stable government in the world.
I'm afraid it is more complicated. There is a thing called "performance legitimacy in China." The CCP has to deliver both material and psychological (ideational) benefits to the citizens in order for the citizens to identify positively with the CCP's political goals. However the CCP is managed by human beings, and humans make mistakes. The worst mistake would be to make a small mistake, refuse to acknowledge, and subsequently cover up when everyone already knows. When such behaviors become standard practice within a bureaucracy, that's how you lose your credibility as a ruler.
