New York Times: Coronavirus Crisis Exposes Cracks in China’s Facade of Unity
“From the outside, China’s Communist Party appears powerful and effective. It has tightened its control over Chinese politics and culture, the economy and everyday life, projecting the image of a gradually unifying society. The coronavirus outbreak has blown up that facade…” (Li, 1/28).

Washington Post: In coronavirus outbreak, China’s leaders scramble to avert a Chernobyl moment
“…While China battles a coronavirus epidemic with potentially far-reaching implications for global public health and the domestic economy, the Communist Party is also scrambling to delicately manage the political risk as citizens fume over how officials bungled the initial response to the outbreak…” (Shih, 1/29).

Additional coverage is available from New York Times (2), Reuters, The Telegraph, and Washington Post.