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| No local coronavirus transmission has been reported for months in Wuhan, where many activities have resumed. (Photo by: AFP/Hector Retamal) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana]China is recasting Wuhan as a heroic coronavirus victim and trying to throw doubt on the pandemic's origin story as it aims to seize the narrative at a time of growing global distrust of Beijing.
The PR blitz plays out daily in comments by Chinese officials and lavish state media coverage of a "reborn" Wuhan that shows Chinas's epidemic-control efforts and economic recovery while the US struggles.The drive peaked in the past week as Chinese primary schools welcomed back students with much fanfare and Wuhan hosted executives from dozens of multinationals, from Panasonic to Dow and Nokia, on a highly choreographed tour of the central Chinese city.
"There are few places in the world today where you don't need a mask and can gather," a Chinese official, Lin Songtian, told the executives, implying that Wuhan was one of those places. "This testifies to Wuhan's triumph over the virus and that (the city) is back in business. However, the story didn't tell about the wet market in Wuhan widely believed to be grounf zero for the pandemic.
China faces foreign bitterness over the virus and an initial cover-up attempt by Wuhan officials.China's foreign minister suggested on Aug 28 during a European outreach trip that the virus might not have emerged in China.
