Beijing pins hopes on ‘guy with the emperor’s sword’ to restore order in coronavirus-hit Hubei

Chen Yixin, a protégé of President Xi Jinping, arrived in Wuhan on Saturday to help tackle the outbreak

He is expected to introduce measures to maintain social stability, including heavy controls on media and people expressing views online

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Chen Yixin has been parachuted into Wuhan as deputy head of the team overseeing the handling of the outbreak. Photo: Handout

Published: 10:00am, 12 Feb 2020Updated: 11:53pm, 13 Feb 2020

Chinese folk tales often feature honest officials, with a sword from the emperor, enforcing law and justice during times of crisis. As the coronavirus crisis unfolds in central Hubei province, Beijing is pinning its hopes on Chen Yixin, a protégé of President Xi Jinping, to take that role.

Chen, a 60-year-old Zhejiang native, has been appointed deputy head of the national team overseeing the handling of the outbreak in Hubei, headed by Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, 70.

Known for being decisive and energetic, Chen is secretary general of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, the Communist Party’s top law enforcement body. The move to parachute him into the epicentre of the outbreak – he is widely seen as Xi’s envoy to take charge of the crisis – is expected to strengthen frontline discipline and social stability in Hubei.

The outbreak, which is believed to have started at a live animal and seafood market in the provincial capital Wuhan in December, has killed more than 1,000 people and infected over 40,000 so far.

Most of those deaths have been in Hubei, where there were more than 33,000 confirmed patients.

President Xi Jinping visits Ditan Hospital in Beijing on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

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