How media predictions about ‘China’s collapse’ failed

In this week’s HeadlineBuster: China’s Chernobyl Moment! The collapse of the Chinese economy! The end to China as we know it! When COVID-19 first hit China, a lot of speculation over China’s measures to fight the coronavirus, its economy and its politics started spreading. It seemed that every China analyst suddenly had an apocalypse to predict or a bone to pick, and the coronavirus became their chosen vehicle of attack. Some called the Wuhan lockdown a violation of human rights and the measures to fight the virus “draconian.” Others predicted the collapse of China’s financial markets, decoupling in the business between China and the world, and an upheaval of the current political system. But flash-forward and the picture is quite different. China has put the epidemic under control within its borders. It’s coming close to finalizing domestically developed vaccines. The economy is rebounding after a first-quarter slump, and Wuhan, China’s original epicenter, just held a massive pool party to celebrate the city’s victory over the virus. A major reality check. So what can we take away from these problematic predictions? What are the lessons for us all?

Guest:

Eric Ding
Senior Fellow, Federation of American Scientists

Zhu Huachen
Associate Professor, State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases
The University of Hong Kong

Brandon Blackburn-Dwyer
President, Grasshopper Strategies

Wang Cong
Chief Reporter, The Global Times

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About This Source - CGTN

This story is an English language news item from CGTN. CGTN is a Chinese state-funded broadcaster.

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