According to Washington Examiner foreign policy commentator Tom Rogan, China's actions to combat the outbreak of coronavirus can be compared with the actions of the USSR in the fight against the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
The Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded in Ukraine on April 26, 1986, 31 people died at once, a mass evacuation of people began and the devastation of a huge territory began. A total of 50,000 people were evacuated. However, the Soviet Union recognized the nuclear reactor accident only two days later. If the USSR had sounded the alarm around the world earlier, the global consequences of the accident might not have been so serious.
Likewise, in December 2019, doctors first tried to warn of the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus on the Chinese social network Weibo, but were immediately blocked by the authorities. Dr. Li Wenliang tried to alert his colleague about the coronavirus outbreak. However, within 24 hours, the Wuhan police were investigating Dr. Li Wenliang's case for the spread of illegal 'rumors'.
Tom Rogan, a foreign policy commentator for the Washington Examiner, noted that Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, and Mikhail Gorbachev, who was the leader of the Soviet Union during the Chernobyl disaster, tried to downplay the incidents and shift the blame to the 'arrogant' west:
“In both cases, the communist regimes have waited too long to admit they have a problem, putting the illusion of state control and stability ahead of preserving human life. This led to an unreasonable increase in risks and the number of deaths. In both cases, the lack of transparency increased the risk for the entire world. '
“We know that China's central government is currently making a comprehensive effort to censor reporting on the nature, extent and inadequacy of its response to the outbreak. We know that, like Mikhail Gorbachev, Xi Jinping distanced himself from the virus. He still hasn't visited Wuhan, preferring to declare a people's war against the virus and take part in ridiculous walks in Beijing. '
'The general truths about Chernobyl and the coronavirus are clear. These are two horrific incidents that are dramatically exacerbated by ludicrous, inept leadership and exacerbated by secondary injustices that can be avoided at the highest levels. '
The coronavirus has now infected more than 45,000 people worldwide, resulting in more than 1,100 deaths.
