The possibility of Covid-19 being a US-related biological weapon has been swirling around in the press and on social media. While little weight is given to the conjectures, just like in the case of sinophobia, a climate of fear could continue to cause panic and cloud China’s interactions with the world.

Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu does a roundup of the leadership changes in Hubei and Wuhan due to the Covid-19 epidemic, and finds out that more is yet to come.

Political scientist Ang Yuen Yuen concludes that given time and circumstance, there is a much higher political price to pay for Covid-19 in the 2020s compared to SARs in the 2000s. 

US President Donald Trump was furious when his friend, British Prime minister Boris Johnson, decided to give Huawei a role in building the UK's 5G infrastructure. German Chancellor Angela Merkel seems to be going a similar direction in a position paper announced yesterday. Chinese academic Zhang Jingwei ponders the UK's move and thinks ahead to implications that it may have on the UK's wider relations with China and the US.

The Covid-19 crisis should have been a chance for the US and China to increase cooperation. Instead, the two countries have lobbed diplomatic volleys against each other in a show of one-upmanship. Now, their competition arena has widened beyond trade or tech, to the escalating coronavirus epidemic.

Amid growing resentment against the leaders of Wuhan and Hubei, Chen Yixin, secretary-general of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, has taken charge of efforts against the epidemic in Hubei. Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan looks at the difficulties of changing provincial-level officials in China and the likelihood of personnel changes improving the situation.

Hong Kong political commentator Leung Man-tao reflects on the dearth of truth in mainland Chinese society as he grieves the passing of Dr Li Wenliang. He remembers the men and women who have gallantly pursued truth in the face of adversity and believes that we can all learn to do the same.

Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing rationalises that Hong Kong’s decision thus far not to completely close borders with the mainland is not unfounded.

The new coronavirus has not yet peaked but is already having serious impacts on the people and businesses of Wuhan and China. Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu looks at the micro and macro effects of the epidemic, from personal accounts to medical and economic forecasts, in this big read on Wuhan.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen visiting China while the latter is knee-deep in efforts to contain the new coronavirus provides some food for thought. ISEAS academic Lye Liang Fook analyses what it means for China-Cambodia relations.