‘Their program was biased’: Australian man trapped near Wuhan clarifies his Four Corners comments

Image: Four Corners

A New South Wales man living near Wuhan, who appeared on Four Corners, has clarified his position on the Chinese government’s management of the coronavirus outbreak.

Tim McLean appeared on the ABC program on Monday, commenting on the conditions in Ezhou, 70 kilometres from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus.

He says he’s “most displeased” with how he was represented and comments where he praised the Chinese government’s management of the disease were not aired.

He clarified his position on 3AW’s Mornings program.

“Australia couldn’t do anything like the magnitude of what China has done to curb this,” he told Neil Mitchell.

“I don’t believe any other country could pull this off, to be honest.

“People are saying they’ve been keeping it under wraps and what not, I don’t believe that’s really the case.”

Mr McLean described life in Hubei province in the midst of the outbreak as “alright” and praised the Chinese government for ensuring food is available to millions.

“I reckon the government is actually doing a pretty good job of keeping everybody fed, to be honest,” he said.

The Chinese government is delivering food to residents every four days, and Mr McLean said although residents are locked in their homes it is for their own safety.

“Our doors are padlocked, it’s as simple as that, but it’s not only to stop us going out, it’s to stop people coming in,” he said.

“We’ve been told that if we get caught out on the street we are reprimanded, but it’s purely a safety measure.”

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