Published on February 19, 2020.
Based on a Sankei Shimbun editorial, this essay discusses the expected postponement of China’s National People’s Congress amid the spread of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus.
It criticizes the Xi Jinping leadership’s initial mistakes, attempts to evade responsibility, speech control, and response to the WHO and the U.S. CDC, arguing that Xi Jinping’s planned state visit to Japan in April should be canceled and that both China and Japan should devote themselves fully to preventing the spread of infection.

2020-02-19
Japan, too, is at a time when it must devote all its efforts to preparing for a domestic outbreak, and it has no time for detailed preparatory talks.
Xi may wish to regain centripetal force through diplomacy, but this is a time when he should instead concentrate on preventing the spread of infection.
Today’s editorial proves that, at present, the Sankei Shimbun is the most sensible newspaper.
The emphases in the body of the text are mine.
Cancel the Visit to Japan and Devote Efforts to Countermeasures
Postponement of China’s National People’s Congress
In response to the spread of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China, it now appears likely that China’s National People’s Congress, scheduled to open on March 5, will be postponed.
The National People’s Congress is a pseudo-parliamentary body for legitimizing the Communist Party dictatorship, and it has customarily opened on March 5.
About 3,000 representatives and others gather from across China.
Considering the risk of further infection, postponement is only natural.
It may be called an extraordinary situation brought about by the initial mistakes of the Chinese leadership under President Xi Jinping in dealing with the new pneumonia.
The number of infected people in China has exceeded 72,000.
Although China imposes strict speech control, dissatisfaction is spreading over the poor response by the Xi leadership and by the central and local governments.
On the 15th, a Communist Party theoretical journal reported, in the form of publishing a speech by Xi, that he had demanded countermeasures against the new pneumonia as of January 7.
There was no such announcement at the time, and this is the first anyone has heard of it.
It is extremely doubtful.
They probably want to deflect criticism and dissatisfaction toward Xi that have arisen among the people and within the Communist Party.
The dismissal of local leaders in Hubei Province and Wuhan City also looks like cutting off the lizard’s tail.
What the Xi leadership should be working on now is not petty evasion of responsibility.
It is to cooperate with the world and work to stop the infection.
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke at the Munich Security Conference and boasted that “the speed, scale, and effectiveness of the response to the new pneumonia demonstrate the superiority of China’s political system.”
Is he not empty inside when he makes such blustering remarks?
Why not humbly seek support from the world?
China has accepted an expert team from the World Health Organization in Beijing, but it has refused the dispatch of experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, proposed by the U.S. government.
It is only natural that a senior U.S. government official expressed disappointment, saying, “China’s response lacks transparency.”
Wang said, “China has made great efforts for global public health.”
If so, China should also accept the dispatch of experts from major countries.
At the Japan-China foreign ministers’ meeting in Munich, both sides agreed to continue preparations for Xi’s state visit to Japan in April, but the visit should be canceled.
Japan, too, is at a time when it must devote all its efforts to preparing for a domestic outbreak, and it has no time for detailed preparatory talks.
Xi may wish to regain centripetal force through diplomacy, but this is a time when he should instead concentrate on preventing the spread of infection.