China is claiming victory over coronavirus, but the true costs of the pandemic are yet to come

In the short-term, China has come out of this crisis much better than anyone else. However, the long-term is another matter, writes Hamish McRae

A bit of maths shows why China has come out better

China has declared victory over the war against Covid-19, and another example of the superiority of the Chinese communist authorities over the governments of the west. In a grand ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, medals were given to citizens who were deemed to have played key roles in the fight, and as a symbol that China was through this one, president Xi Jinping did not wear a mask and shook hands with a number of officials.

Meanwhile infections in Europe are on the rise again, India is adding 90,000 cases a day, and the uneven response in the US has become a central election issue. The contrast is stark indeed.

To many people it will seem a bit of a cheek that China should allow a virus to spread wildly, denying what was happening, infect the rest of the entire world, then declare victory. But in the short-term at least China has come much better out of this crisis than anyone else. We have to accept that. The long-term however is another matter.