When the vaccine scandals in Jilin and Hubei were exposed, there were changes in personnel but also a renewed commitment to building regulatory mechanisms up to the task of oversight and safety guarantees. Both measures were presented as serious undertakings by Beijing to hold officials accountable but also continue with reform.
The phrase ‘fight through the chaos with severity’ appeared in an account of the Politburo meeting on 16 August that decided on that course of action, and it has been repeated by officials and in commentaries in other policy realms since. The instruction is drawn from the Rites of Zhou, a set of documents purportedly based on administrative experiences during the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046 – 771 BC). The Rites admonish rulers to be fierce and forceful, but also to bring their efforts in line with social needs. The employment of the phrase implies that while draconian measures might be necessary, the equally important message is that government needs to be attentive and responsive, willing to take whatever actions are necessary to prevent turmoil and restore order, including (even especially) in political institutions.