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Subject
The political impact of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
Significance
The extreme measures the Communist Party has taken in response to the COVID-19 outbreak are partly designed to instill faith in its governing capacity among ordinary citizens, but inertia and slow decision-making at every level have revealed a gap between official rhetoric and reality.
Impacts
China will increasingly treat public health as a matter of state security; regulation and more involvement by senior officials will follow.
The main risk to political stability is indirect, via the outbreak’s negative effect economic growth and employment.
Despite signs of public outrage, protests are unlikely due to the risk of contamination and intense activity by the security services.
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2020
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