>>7998903 lb
There are likely lots of things going on at the same time all woven together.
First you have to understand that China is a friend of the USA. Even the CCP is an ally. Look at the last party congress where they replaced the Hammer and Sickle with the five star national emblem.
There is an old Chinese saying: The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. It means that China is a big and diverse country. The emperor seems to be in control, but only because the regions allow it and because he does not demand too much. The CCP took the place of the emperor but we know, from the level of corruption in China, that their hand is light on the tiller.
Remember , there are 56 ethnic groups in China and 297 languages spoken. Although 70% speak Mandarin, for most it is their second language. There is a lot of regionalism.The Triads still exist even if the leadership prefers to live in Taiwan or Hong Kong.
And beyond that, the royal family of Japan is originally from the Chinese Li clan. The royal family of Korea was also from the Li clan. And a very powerful man from the Li clan, sits high in Hong Kong, ruling a vast empire. It was Li-Ka-shing who tried to buy the Port of Long Beach. It was he who provided the money to make Huawei into a powerhouse. CK Hutchison Holdings is a vast empire of businesses and holding companies. The whole Umbrella Corps appeared to be a Freedom movement but it conveniently blocked the streets when President Xi wanted to extradite criminals hiding in Hong Kong. And emperor like Li-Ka-shing is nothing without his minions, and so the umbrellas sprouted like mushrooms after the rain.
Xi is in a strong position. He had to be to get the job and to continue leading China through this time period which is difficult for the country. This tells us that factions in the PLA military do support Xi. Factions in the CCP also support Xi. The country is divided because it has a lot of corrupt people and their minions, who are not yet ready to change their ways. The threat of an epidemic allows Xi to order things that the people would not comply with in other times. Yes, there is a disease. Yes it is spreading. But something is wrong. It looks like an epidemic to the average citizen, but...
It provides great cover for police operations, for military operations. Just give the soldiers and police a saline injection, tell them it makes them immune, and they will happily go to work in the hot zone. I would not be surprised it they are tracking down the hardened criminals, the muscle and the hit men, like MS13 in the USA, and then giving them a free vaccination containing an overdose of carfentanil. Solve two problems at once. Bye bye criminal, and hello dead bodies to show there really is a serious illness going around.
At least one commentator has already noticed some statistical anomalies with the data about the spread of nCoV in China. So far people attribute it to mistakes, incompetence, etc.
The Bottom Up rule that was applied in the USA, applies to China and every other country. But as sovereign nations, they get to implement it in their own way. Notice how Trump has let North Korea loose to do their own thing. They have different problems. They have to educate people. They have to build up industry that the clowns would not allow them to have. And they have to keep up appearances. I expect that when the dust settles, that North Korea will have some role in space launches because of their ICBM program. Take off the nuclear warhead, put on a cargo capsule, and you can supply kimchi for the Lunar Mining Colonies.