China’s version of freedom
Despite a few outbreaks mentioned above, China — where the coronavirus originated — has become one of the safest places in the world. Daily life includes packed restaurants, full hotels, and face-to-face meetings, and the economy is predicted to grow this year, unlike most of its rivals.
Beijing’s success is upending ideas about freedom, our New New World columnist writes: Chinese citizens have the freedom to move around and lead a largely normal day-to-day life, provoking envy around the world. But it comes at the cost of nearly every other kind of freedom. People are surveilled, and restrictions are extreme when virus outbreaks emerge.
The method: “It’s kind of a one-size-fits-all approach: Just completely take care of the problem,” said an investor who came to Shanghai from San Francisco. “So when it comes to a virus, maybe that’s not too bad a thing. When it comes to certain other problems, maybe not such a good thing.”
The New York Times
Me: For the China Haters, your hate is misguided, because China is OK and your society is not.