Paradoxical Chinese Government Leadership in Handling the COVID-19 Crisis

This chapter reviews paradoxical Chinese government leadership when handling the COVID-19 crisis in the first 30 days following the block-down of the Wuhan City. Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic remains a considerable challenge worldwide. Executing definitive procedures and methods in the face of paradoxical decisions will help all countries fight the battle more effectively. It is for this reason that the authors examine how Chinese government leaders managed the paradoxical situations during the national fight against the pandemic crisis. Using a case study approach and analyzing 3604 news items released by the Chinese official media, the authors identified three types of paradoxes China faced: the need for a timely and accurate release of information, the need for central government control and local contextualized implementation, along with the need for effective pandemic prevention and resumption of production. The authors also identified major paradox-coping strategies used by the top government leaders. The objective is not to promote the Chinese government or their response but to provide useful insights for government leaders of other countries in their fight against COVID-19 and future outbreaks of crises.