38 China
~Smet]oumal reporters, ostensibly as pun-
ishment for a headline in the newspaper
calling China the Hreal sick man of Asiau.
America then imposed a cap ofroo on Chi-
nese nationals working for those five me-
dia: Xinbua. CGTN, China Daily, China Ra-
dio International and the distribution ann
of People's Dai(y. That meant, in effect, the
expulsion of 60 people.
China's response will have a far bigger
impact on journalism, stripping the for-
eign press corps in China of many of its
best cor:respondents. It will also wony
many people in Hong Kong, where anger
over Chinese interference has triggered.
frequent protests in recent months. China
says the expelled 1eporters are batted from
working there too. This scraps a conven-
tion under Chinese rule that foreign re-
porters, even if shut out of the mainland,
can still work in Hong Kong. The central
government bas, in effect, made it clear
thatits rules for managing foreign journal-
ists will take precedence over Hong Kong's
far freer system.
In recent years Chinese officials have
been confrontational with many Westem
countries, but more cautious with Ameri-
ca. That era may be over. The harshness of
China's retaliation suggests that its leaders
are becoming more willing to risk open
hostility with the United St.ates.
China's insinuations over the origin of
covid-:19 are a sign of this change. For weeks
fanciful theories had been circulating on-
line in China and in Chinese media that the
coronavirus was an American bioweapon,
produced bythe CIA or the us.Anny and re-
leased in WulJ.an in October, when the city
hosted the Military World Games. On
March 22th Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for
China's foreign ministiy, stepped in on
Twitter, where he now has more than
400,000 followers. ,t might be us army
who brought the epidemic to WUhan," be
tweeted. ''Be transparent! Make public your
data! us owe us an explanation!~ other Chi-
nese diplomats have joined in spreading
the mmour. Some American officials have
also floated a baseless idea that covid-19
emerged fromaresearchlabin wuban.
Mr nump said China's conspiracy the-
or:ywasonereasonwhyhewouldkeepcall-
ing SAR.S-cov-2 the ·chinese virus·. He dis-
missed a reporter's suggestion that this
might be racist. But his language seems
likely to stoke racism, including among bis
own staff. on March 17th a Chlnese-bom
American television reporter tweeted that
a White House official had called the virus
•Kung Flu• to her face.
For now the swapping of insults may
appear infantile. But as the epidemic wors-
ens, so too will the scapegoating. If far laJg-
er numbers die, perceptions in China and
America of who is to blame will have pro-
found consequences for a relationship that
is already looking scarily frayed. •Imported InfectionsA frosty welcome
BEIJING
China worries that tiavellers will bring
the 'rirus back from abroadI
N EAJILY MARCH Alina Wang, a Chinese
citizen studying in Sydney, decided it
would be best to go back to hernativecoun-
tly. she felt that China was doing a good job
curtailing the spread of covid-19. In Austra-
lia she had wonies, including thatfewpeo-
ple wore masks when out and about. Now
Ms Wilng is in a hotel near her family's
home inanorth-eastem Chinese province.
sheisservingoutthelastfewdaysofa two-
week quarantine that local officials said
new arrivals must undergo. Fortunately
her room has good Wl-Fi. She is keeping
busy with coursework.
As infections dwindle in China and soar
elsewhere, many Chinese citizens living
abroad are wondering whether it would be
safer to return. The pull is strongest for the
LSm Chinese studying in foreign universi-
ties, many of wbich have suspended face-
to-face classes. They are often urged to re-
tum by family members, who fear that for-
eign countries do not have the gumption or
the power to enforce the kind of sweeping
restrictions that China has used to fight the
new coronavirus. On .March 15th Global
Times, a Beijing tabloid, said the less-dra-
conian measures adopted by Britain and
the Netherlands were •irresponsible and
harmful to the world•.
Long ago China was reluctant to allow
its citizens to travel the world freely. Now
its doors are open and the numbers living
abroad have soared. China sees them as a
source of soft power and of knowledge that
- 1"
Should I stay or should I go?
- 1"
The Economist March 21st 2020can help the country's rise. In recent years
it has been tlying to boost their loyalty to
the motherland by standing up for their in-
terests. It says that since the outbreak be-
gan it has repatriated l,OOO nationals who
had become stranded in bard-hit coun-
trles. But now it is starting to wony.
Officials say that making sure people
entering China do not bring the virus with
them bas become a priority. All 34 new
cases of covid-ig that were detected in the
countr:y on March :18th involved someone
who had recently entered from abroad.
Most of those people are believed to be Chi-
nese citizens.
Netizens have been expressing awtiety
about this on social media. They have nged
against a handful of people who have con-
cealed symptoms when entering the coun-
tly or disregarded requests that they self-
quarantine for two weeks after they anive.
This anger relates to a common complaint
in China, that those with money and con-
nections are often able to skirt mles. Only a
small fraction of Chinese are rich enough
to study abroad.
Officials appear keen to stem the retum
flow. especially to Beijing (protecting the
capital is always considered vital). On
March 16th it was announced that most
people who enter the city from a foreign
countr:y would have to do two weeks of
quarantine in a designated hotel and pay
$30-$80 a night for it. Two days later a city
official advised Chinese students not to re-
tum unless they had to.
Many Chinese students abroad say
there are good reasons to st.ay put. Going
home before graduation could make it
harder to find jobs overseas. Some wony
that they could catch the virus in transit, or
that retuming would cause hassle for their
parents. On balance, Ms Wang thinks she
made the right decision. She says being
home is a great relief. •