ABSTRACT

　　This article compares the response of the Chinese state to the COVID-19 pandemic with that of the major Western capitalist countries. It collates evidence showing that China has mobilised unprecedented governmental, economic, technological, scientific and human resources in order to get the viral outbreak under control. In countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, on the other hand, the response to COVID-19 has thus far been insufficient, and as a result these countries have not had anywhere near China’s level of success in protecting their populations from infection. Analysing the reasons for this disparity, the article concludes that China’s socialist economic and political system, along with the leadership of the Communist Party of China, have been indispensable factors in China’s extraordinary efforts to respond to one of the greatest threats to humanity in modern history.

　　KEYWORDS: COVID-19; socialism; pandemic; capitalism; China

　　From: International Critical Thought 2020 10 (2)

　　Editor: Wang Yi

　　https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21598282.2020.1779504?src=most-read-all-time