Chinese President Xi Jinping, who had been noticeably absent from public view as his country is fighting the novel coronavirus outbreak, has been more active in recent days.
While criticism grew over authorities' handling of the crisis, Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, says Xi never lost control of the outbreak but it seems that his government didn't realize its initial response to the crisis would be a shortfall.
Speaking to tbs eFM's This Morning on Monday, the professor also said the "silence and passivity" imposed by the Beijing government triggered deep resentment among the public in the wake of the death of the whistleblower doctor, Li Wenliang.
However, he added the magnitude of the public outrage is unclear as the government controls the situation "very much" with security and propaganda operators.
In regards to recent reports that indicate Xi's early awareness of the outbreak, Cabestan said many unanswered questions remain as to why the Chinese president didn't say anything in public and make earlier decisions to control the epidemic.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
