I fail to see any inconsistency between the two. One of the most often repeated cliches regarding China is "don't listen to what they say, watch what they do." Let's assume, hypothetically, that we genuinely (and not as a matter of political rhetoric) believe that everything China says is a lie. This skepticism towards their words simply doesn't logically extend to their actions — especially when those actions (i.e. how they responded to their own Covid situation) were in their own self-interest and could be independently verified. This is just a logical observation: Unless you believe that China intentionally responded to Covid in self-destructive ways in the hopes that US might copy their responses, there's simply no inconsistency between the "official stance" you linked to and what you referred to as the subsequent "mimicking".
It was in China's own self-interest to under-report their casualties to covid. They were forced to choose some form of action, but that does not mean their choice was the correct one. Also, there was little to no independent verification of their reported numbers. China doesn't just let foreign interests come into their country and investigate.
