Fear, Fury and the Coronavirus

<p><em>Note: This episode contains strong language in both English and Mandarin. </em></p><p>What started as a story about fear of a new and dangerous virus has become a story of fury over the Chinese government’s handling of an epidemic. Today, one of our China correspondents takes us behind the scenes of Beijing’s response to a global outbreak. Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/amy-qin?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">Amy Qin</a>, a China correspondent for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>President Xi Jinping faces an accelerating health crisis that is also a political one: a<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/08/world/asia/xi-coronavirus-china.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> profound test of the authoritarian system</a> he has built around himself over the past seven years.</li><li>China’s leader, who rarely mingles with the public,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/10/world/asia/xi-jinping-coronavirus.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> visited several sites in Beijing</a> and spoke to medical workers in Wuhan via video conferencing.</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/world/asia/coronavirus-china-covid-19.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-coronavirus&variant=show&region=TOP_BANNER&context=storyline_menu?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">Here are the latest updates</a> on the global outbreak.</li></ul>