The deadly coronavirus that originated in China also threatens the political health of Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Nikkei montage/Xinhua/AP/Reuters)

Xi ally warned leader against overexposure in virus fight

Wang Qishan feared public anger being directed at the president

KATSUJI NAKAZAWA, Nikkei senior staff writer

February 13, 2020 04:48 JST

TOKYO -- As Chinese people cautiously returned to work Monday after an extended Lunar New Year holiday, President Xi Jinping also put on a mask and visited medical facilities in Beijing.

At a residential community in the capital's Chaoyang district, Xi observed prevention and control efforts for the epidemic at the primary level. At his next stop, Beijing Ditan Hospital, a video conference was set up with hospitals in Wuhan, Hubei Province, the epicenter of the coronavirus, and Xi exhorted medical staff to continue the fight to defend the city.