Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Is Coronavirus Outbreak a Pivotal Moment for China?

Guofu Yang

   WASHINGTON - The death last month of China's whistleblowing doctor Li
   Wenliang, weeks after he warned of a new, unnamed coronavirus in an
   online chatroom, triggered an outpouring of calls for free speech in
   the world's most populous authoritarian country.

   In online chatrooms, many mourned the doctor's passing as they talked
   about the importance of transparency and free speech and demanded an
   end to the party's ever-expanding control over all aspects of life.
   Some saw echoes of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, but others
   said the Chinese government's heavy handed controls and massive
   surveillance apparatus are too effective at neutralizing dissent.

   Analysts told VOA Mandarin that not only is this coronavirus moment
   nothing like the spring protests of 1989, but free speech in China
   continues to worsen despite Beijing's rise on the global stage.

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