Censuring other parties for dissenting opinions is nothing new for Chinese government spokespeople and state media. Still, China has lately been stepping up its effort to counter global criticisms of its government for the outbreak of COVID-19.
After Peruvian Nobel literature laureate Mario Llosa blamed the Chinese government for covering up the epidemic without proper handling, China’s Foreign Ministry told Llosa to “discard his prejudice and look at the issue in an all-round, correct manner and view China objectively and fairly.” In another case, Brazilian President’s son Eduardo Bolsonaro enraged Beijing by tweeting, “The blame for the global coronavirus pandemic has a name and surname: the Chinese Communist party.” The Chinese embassy hit back by remarking that Bolsonaro has caught a “mental virus that is infecting the friendship between our people” and that the Bolsonaro family is “poison” for Brazil.
