With COVID-19 — China is demonstrating its "get things done" advantage over the "West"

16 February 2020

You will have heard criticism of China's COVID-19 response

At first, it was that China was not doing enough to contain the Wuhan coronavirus. And they were covering up its extent.

Then, it was that the PRC was doing too much in a nastily totalitarian fashion.

Conveniently forgotten — in western democracies and the United States in particular — is that we could not have done "jack shit" anywhere near as (apparently) effectively.

Think about it

Today, news reports said that Hubei Province — where Wuhan's 11 million person population is — has shut down private vehicular travel:

Hubei province bans vehicle traffic to curb spread of coronavirus.

The government of Hubei province, the centre of China's coronavirus outbreak, said a ban will be imposed on vehicle traffic across the province to curb the spread of the virus.

In a published document, it said police cars, ambulances, vehicles carrying essential goods, or other vehicles related to public service would be exempted.

It added that the province will carry out regular health checks on all residents in the province. It also stated that companies cannot resume work without first receiving permission from the government.

Sure, it's too late . . .

. . . given the rapid way epidemics rapidly build upon themselves.

But that's not the most essential geopolitical point.

Can you imagine draconian containment like this happening in the United States?

OMG, the interfering uproar that would result:

Libertarians shrilling about their rights

people parading into courts

judges issuing stays against federal, state and municipal actions

Americans volubly panicking and running wild, hither and yon

Second Amendmenters barricading themselves (wherever they are) against disease control efforts

the President being assailed as the new Hitler or Stalin

("death camps will be next!!!!") —

and so on . . .

until

disease control fails completely

and

epidemic becomes pandemic

gathers momentum

and

kills whomever it will.

So, no . . .

. . . assailing the PRC's leadership for its attempts at rigid societal control misses the main "effectiveness" point:

China is probably the only major government on the planet capable of quickly and quickly getting things done — (mistaken though they may be) — including controlling epidemics — provided of course, they have the sense (which they lacked in COVID-19's case) to recognize and announce the epidemics' beginnings.

Note

We will overlook the ironic (and telling public health) truth that China's evidently tolerated wild animal food markets almost certainly started this particular epidemic.

It is probably safe to guess that the PRC will now begin to better control what goes on in these markets. International embarrassment (about COVID-19's probable origin) may be the primary motivator.

The moral? — The PRC's model of mixed capitalism and technically minded totalitarianism . . .

. . . is consistently demonstrates its superior efficiency (compared to the United States) in setting and accomplishing "national" goals.

Do you think that the oligarchic United States — which is demonstrably incapable even of:

repairing its fragmenting transportation infrastructure

and

manufacturing much of what is societally essential to our survival

is going to keep up?

With COVID-19, we are watching the world's future Sole Superpower demonstrating why (and partially how) it is destined in that direction.

Are you reassured on Humanity's behalf?

I'm not.

There is nothing about the Chinese model that I find attractive. It is a pity that we can't pose a widely attractive competing model in governance.

PeteFree.com

With COVID-19 — China is demonstrating its "get things done" advantage over the "West"