Beijing will reject calls for virus transparency

Subject

Calls for China to be more transparent over COVID-19's origins and spread.

Significance

China has a critical role to play in providing data to the rest of the world on infections and fatalities related to COVID-19. However, there are widespread doubts over the reliability of the data that China supplies.

Impacts

• Criticism at home and abroad will do nothing to change the Communist Party’s calculation of the risks and benefits of transparency.
• Beijing will view foreign criticism of its data as deliberately subversive.
• Beijing will dismiss public calls for greater transparency in favour of even stronger central control.