Xi Jinping faces a defining moment. He has turned a health crisis into a political one—and has no good fix
covid-19 lockdowns. During the first weeks of the pandemic, the government of Xi Jinping corralled tens of millions of people to stop the disease spreading out of Wuhan. Almost three years later, lockdowns have become China’s undoing. A combination of protests and rising cases means that Mr Xi will have to navigate between mass lockdowns and mass infection—and possibly end up with both.
One problem is hubris. The zero-covid policy started as a stunning success, by sparing millions of Chinese lives. At first, less disease also meant less economic harm. For the past three years, most Chinese have got on with things. Month after month, state media trumpeted that this proves Mr Xi and the party are competent and humane, unlike decadent Western politicians presiding over mass death.
Unless China changes course, its resilience to covid will fade. The latest subvariants are more infectious than Omicron, which is more infectious than Delta. Protection from serious disease and death decays much faster in those who have only been vaccinated than it does in those who have been infected as well. Regardless, China has not yet staged a campaign for a fourth shot.
The implications go wider than covid. By making the zero-covid policy into a test of loyalty, Mr Xi has turned a health crisis into a political one. By imposing the daily apparatus of detection and enforcement, he has cut against the idea that his covid policy puts “people first” and instead brought an unbending authoritarian state into every home.
Danmark Seneste Nyt, Danmark Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også læse nyheder, der ligner denne, som vi har indsamlet fra andre nyhedskilder.
China’s Covid protests show it’s time to start thinking of a world after Xi JinpingIf Beijing’s authority can wobble in the way that we are now seeing, might it one day actually collapse or be overthrown? 🔵 wallaceme for ipaperviews
Læs mere »
What happened to the man who led the chants against Xi Jinping?One Shanghai protester shocked the world by leading a crowd’s chants. But what happened to him next?
Læs mere »
The protests in China may change the way Xi Jinping runs the country, says Minxin Pei“Whatever the immediate outcomes of the protests,” writes the Chinese-American academic in a guest essay, “they will probably influence policy for the remainder of President Xi Jinping’s time in power”
Læs mere »
Scots teen booted cops in testicles after she was caught boozing in streetPerth Sheriff Court was told that one of the officers was left in 'extreme pain' as he had recently undergone 'a procedure'
Læs mere »