After protests: is China’s zero-Covid strategy crumbling?

China is in the biggest corona wave since the pandemic began. After protests in the past few days, there is some movement in the zero-Covid policy. But is the strategy changing – or just the public presentation?

Chinese state television reports on a meeting chaired by China’s Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who is responsible for corona policy in China. It is clear, she is quoted as saying, that China is facing a new situation and new tasks. She no longer mentions the zero-Covid policy. Some observers see this as a sign that China may be moving away from the zero-Covid policy. Other observers only see a change in how politics is communicated, but not in politics itself.

Benjamin Eysel
ARD Studio Beijing

The virus has changed, Sun Chunlan said that too – this is the first time you’ve heard it publicly. Chinese state media such as the “Global Times” are also following the narrative and are now reporting that scientists have confirmed that the omicron variant is no longer so dangerous. However, it is unclear how the virus should be dealt with politically. It seems like every city does what it wants.

In the past few days, some cities have adjusted individual measures, partially relaxed movement restrictions and reduced corona tests. People who have had close contact with infected people should now be allowed to isolate themselves at home in several cities and not in central quarantine facilities.

Police arrest protesters

This is particularly surprising in the country’s corona hotspots of Guangzhou and Chongqing, which have had the most infections in the country’s currently largest corona wave since the beginning of the pandemic. In the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou, with a population of 19 million, there have been smaller protests over the past few days, which have escalated. They were aimed directly at the Corona measures.

Video footage found to be from the Haizhu district of Guangzhou shows police officers in white full-coverage suits and overhead shields moving in formation while objects were thrown at them by demonstrators. Other videos showed tear gas being used, people running away or street barriers being kicked down. There were several arrests.

Protest against censorship

There had already been protests in China over the weekend, the largest of them with hundreds of demonstrators each in Shanghai and the capital Beijing. There, as in other cities, people demanded freedom of expression in addition to an end to the lockdowns. With blank sheets of paper, they protested against the censorship and in some cases against the system and against the Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping. Further protests in the country’s two most important cities were prevented by a large police presence.

Beijing: Schools and shops are closed

While there are minor easing of the corona measures in several cities in China, it has become more restrictive in Shanghai this week in particular. Some bars have closed there, people have to be tested for Corona more often – now every 48 hours. In the capital Beijing, shops and schools have been closed for two weeks and people are being asked to stay at home.

Central quarantine facilities are increasingly being built across the country to isolate positive cases there, such as in southern China’s Guangdong region and northeast China’s Shandong region.

“Adhering to the Dynamic Zero Covid Policy”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian was asked at a press conference this week whether China will end the zero-Covid strategy after the public’s visible dissatisfaction, and if so, when. An exceptionally long pause followed. He asked the reporter to repeat the question while he nervously rummaged through his papers. Then he replied: “What you say is not what happened in China. China firmly adheres to the dynamic zero-Covid policy.”

The People’s Republic cannot open seriously either. Because a basic problem continues to be that millions of older people are not sufficiently vaccinated. But there seems to be movement here too. If the corona virus were to spread unchecked, older people would be particularly at risk.

But there is great skepticism among older people about vaccinations: Only about 40 percent of those over 80 have received a booster so far. According to studies, a third vaccination is urgently needed for the Chinese vaccines used exclusively in the People’s Republic in order to obtain sufficient protection against severe courses.

Vaccination rate should be increased

The Chinese state and party leadership therefore announced this week that it would increase the rate of vaccination. Xia Gang from the National Health Administration said at a press conference that the State Council had adopted a work plan: “Next, we will seriously implement the work plan and instruct the municipalities to work and organize in a thoughtful way. Municipal governments will optimize vaccination services and Do better work on booster vaccinations and vaccinations for the elderly.”

In order to increase the vaccination rate, there should be more education. More different combinations of vaccines are also permitted, and the intervals between vaccinations are being shortened. In addition, older people should be better reached with mobile vaccination teams. If someone cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, in future it must be stated exactly why.

The state and party leadership has set itself the goal of vaccinating 90 percent of those over 80 who can be vaccinated sufficiently by the end of January, including boosters if this is possible in time – this is reported by the news portal Caixin. An ambitious goal that observers say will be difficult to achieve. But what it shows is that there is at least some movement in China’s corona policy.