The Chinese government isn't Oceania, with a near-total ability to force a narrative that's widely in variance to the facts. For example, just look at how well they've managed to convince the world that the Xinjiang camps don't exists and are fully of happy Uyghurs that are grateful for the education they're getting there.
If China had the same per capita COVID death rate a the US, they'd have had 1.1 million deaths at this point (and the associated stresses on their healthcare system). That's not something they could hide, because that's something my relatives would be able to personally report evidence of (especially since one is basically living in a Chinese hospital right now because of a bowel issue). Instead, they going about their business normally, often without masks, and no one's getting sick from COVID.
The Chinese government isn't Oceania, with a near-total ability to force a narrative that's widely in variance to the facts. For example, just look at how well they've managed to convince the world that the Xinjiang camps don't exists and are fully of happy Uyghurs that are grateful for the education they're getting there.
If China had the same per capita COVID death rate a the US, they'd have had 1.1 million deaths at this point (and the associated stresses on their healthcare system). That's not something they could hide, because that's something my relatives would be able to personally report evidence of (especially since one is basically living in a Chinese hospital right now because of a bowel issue). Instead, they going about their business normally, often without masks, and no one's getting sick from COVID.