Is democracy or authoritarianism the best regime against coronavirus? Eugénie Mérieau   During the first weeks of February 2020, the very existence of the epidemic was analyzed as deriving almost mechanically from the authoritarian characteristics of China, in particular: the lack of freedom of expression and the inertia of a rigid bureaucratic structure. It was State censorship that had silenced whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang. It was the oppressive bureaucratic structure that had prevented the flow of information from the local level to the central authorities, transforming a local epidemic into a world pandemic of unprecedented scale. On this basis, many voices called for taking China to the United Nations International Court of Justice for breach of its international obligations. Even