China’s Attempts To Heal Battered International Reputation Yields Mixed Results
In some places, China's efforts to help countries fight their own outbreaks have backfired. “They know when the dust settles and people turn their eye toward whether Beijing was responsible, it’s going to be a very difficult situation,” said Nadège Rolland, a senior fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research. In other global news, England's death total is 15% higher than previously reported.
The Washington Post:
China's Coronavirus Public-Relations War Is Backfiring In The West
As China in March became the first major country to recover from the coronavirus outbreak that spread from central city of Wuhan, its officials kicked off another campaign: to heal its tattered international image. President Xi Jinping held a flurry of phone calls with world leaders to promise aid. More than 170 Chinese medical experts were dispatched to Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa. State media outlets flooded the Internet with photos of Chinese masks arriving in 100 countries and stories questioning the epidemic’s origins. (Shih, 4/14)
Reuters:
Getting A Coronavirus Test In Wuhan: Fast, Cheap And Easy
Coronavirus tests can be difficult to come by in many countries including in hard-hit parts of the United States and Britain, but in Wuhan, the Chinese epicentre of the pandemic, they are fast, cheap and easy to get. (Goh, 4/14)
Reuters:
Deaths In England From Coronavirus 15% Higher Than Previously Reported, Stats Office Says
Deaths in England caused by the coronavirus by April 3 were 15% higher than previously reported, according to official data published on Tuesday. “The latest comparable data for deaths involving COVID-19 with a date of death up to April 3, show there were 6,235 deaths in England and Wales,” said Nick Stripe, head of health analysis at the Office for National Statistics. (4/14)