To maintain its authority, the Communist Party of China must keep the public convinced that everything is going according to plan. That means carrying out systemic cover-ups of scandals and deficiencies that may reflect poorly upon the party’s leadership, instead of doing what is necessary to respond.

But perhaps the most tragic part of this story is that there is little reason to hope that next time will be different. The survival of the one-party state depends on secrecy, media suppression and constraints on civil liberties. So, even as Chinese President Xi Jinping demands that the government increase its capacity
to handle “major risks”, China will continue to undermine its own – and the world’s – safety, to bolster the Communist Party’s authority.

When China’s leaders finally declare victory against the current outbreak, they will undoubtedly credit the party’s leadership. But the truth is just the opposite: the party is again responsible for this calamity.