Expert pinpoints why boris johnson 'can't blame china'

Last night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation as he set out a timetable for the UK's exit out of coronavirus lockdown. Piers Morgan also made headlines today in his

fiery interview with Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen after the backbencher gave unclear advice relating to the Government's own policy. The GMB host also raised the controversy

surrounding a lack of Protective Personal Equipment. This was picked out by expert on Chinese politics Steve Tsang in an interview with Express.co.uk, who argued that while China's

Communist Party has a lot to answer for, Mr Johnson and co cannot use Beijing as a scapegoat for the coronavirus crisis. Professor Tsang said: "The criticism can be both justified and a

deliberate attempt to deflect from the failings of the British government. "It is true that the Chinese government was not transparent, nor did they give timely information that could

have given us time to prepare. "However, I do have a problem with the assumption we would have used that warning and time effectively and responsibly. "Even if the Chinese

government had been open to begin with, we had senior ministers talking about the need for 'herd immunity'. "So they weren't taking this thing seriously anyway.

"Taiwan for example, knew how the Chinese Government operates, they were also lied to, but they acted swiftly in distributing PPE and ramped up manufacturing for the general population

from the beginning. READ MORE: CORBYN: HOW EX-LABOUR LEADER’S TENURE SUNK TO HISTORIC LOW IN BBC SNUB He was reprimanded for “spreading rumours” by Chinese police – who forced him to sign a

police document admitting that he had “seriously disrupted social order”. After catching the coronavirus, Li died in early February and caused Chinese internet to overflow with

anti-government messages despite the country's strict censorship. The doctor has been officially exonerated by an investigation into his death, although some argue this did not go far

enough as only the reprimand was withdrawn. While the coronavirus threat reached other countries, China's attempts to prevent news of the disease travelling has been condemned.