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China’s zero-Covid protests

China’s zero-Covid protests
A series of protests broke out in multiple Chinese cities in late 2022, as citizens vented their anger against China’s zero-Covid strategy, which has kept infections at a low level but also brought disruptions to economic and social life.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
A woman offers a prayer in front of a sports centre in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on November 13, two days after a driver rammed his car into a crowd there, killing 35. Photo: Kyodo
China society

Opinion | Spate of random killings rooted in China’s social and economic despair

The mental trauma from pandemic controls and the economic slump have led to feelings of helplessness and despair that cannot be ignored.

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China’s Communist Party

How Covid-19 rules in Shanghai affected Chinese public support

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Science

Researchers contest early findings that Wuhan was epicentre of Covid pandemic

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Coronavirus China

Want to rent an affordable flat in one of China’s former pop-up Covid hospitals?

For US$170 per month, some agents are offering a unit with a private bathroom and allow pets.

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The Colourful Community in Beijing used to be a temporary pandemic hospital but in September was converted into affordable housing. Photo: Yuanyue Dang
China’s internet censorship

Apple’s AirDrop in focus as China moves to restrict ‘short-range’ file-sharing

Move is latest in Beijing’s drive to boost national security after use of AirDrop by mainland zero-Covid and Hong Kong anti-government protesters.

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China’s Communist Party

China is deploying more officers for grass-roots policing across the country

Move to tighten surveillance and control was prompted by recent protests, according to observers.

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China technology

Opinion | Beijing’s fact-finding campaign to drive better policy a chance not to be missed

Constantly sweeping problems under the carpet is not a sustainable position, policy needs to be based on facts, with good and bad news communicated clearly.

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China’s new fact-finding push should lead to better policy. Photo: Bloomberg
Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo

Unpacking China’s new Covid crisis

Coronavirus China

Opinion | Finding the courage to criticise Covid-19 injustice in China

Amid China’s pandemic turmoil in 2022, many turned to platforms like WeChat to vent their frustration. As a Chinese living in the UK, I feel fortunate, and guilty, to have the freedom to speak out, relatively untouched by the strict censorship.

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Coronavirus China

How political and economic pressure led to Beijing’s zero-Covid U-turn

A wide range of factors – including protests, rising infection numbers and the heavy toll on the economy – accelerated the pace of reopening.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China's border reopening

Asian Angle | China’s pointless zero-Covid policy will puzzle historians for years to come

It remains to be seen whether and how quickly the scarring done to parts of China’s economy can be reversed by its eventual reopening.

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People wearing face masks cross a road in Beijing. Scientists have warned that China will face multiple waves of Covid-19 infections as the Omicron variant mutates to spread faster and evade immunity. Photo: EPA-EFE
US-China relations

On Balance | How 2022 brought the democratic West together

The US succeeded in strengthening global alliances in 2022 while opponents like Russia face growing exclusion, making for a better year for Biden than many would have expected. That said, the US-led order will continue to face hurdles from within in 2023.

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Coronavirus China

Opinion | Time for China’s ‘zero-Covid’ roller coaster to come to an end

The past year saw wild swings in China’s experience with Covid-19, with periods of strict lockdown interspersed with stretches of relative normality. After public anger boiled over and the government suddenly changed course, though, it’s high time to draw this traumatic period to a close.

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Coronavirus China

China’s biggest news events of 2022

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Coronavirus Singapore

Singapore doctors expect more PCR testing as China eases Covid measures

One clinic said there had already been a 15-20 per cent increase in demand since mid-November, much of it from Chinese people returning home.

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A photo of President Xi Jinping during an exhibition in China about its fight against Covid-19. As the nation eases its coronavirus measures, there is a knock-on effect elsewhere, including in Singapore. Photo: AFP
Coronavirus China

Opinion | Why China is so careful with opening up, with or without the protests

An ill-timed relaxation could trigger a recession, mass deaths and set back gains in poverty, healthcare and education. Add to the considerations youth demands for freedoms, China’s easing is necessarily slow and measured.

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Coronavirus China

Chinese medical schools relent to protesting students on Covid front line

Students also want to be free to go home for the winter holidays; and for those staying to be paid the same as staff doctors.

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Coronavirus pandemic

Diplomat blames ‘foreign forces’ for boosting China’s Covid-19 protests

Beijing’s envoy to France says protesters’ anger at local government failures was taken advantage of by those who want to ‘destroy’ China.

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Discontent over local government failures in implementing China’s zero-Covid policy was fuelled by anti-China forces, Beijng’s envoy in France said. Photo: Reuters
Australia

Opinion | Australia siege shows global rise in anti-police sentiment, from US to Hong Kong

Anti-police ideologies are capturing the attitudes of those in society who are frustrated with how they perceive police to be conducting themselves.

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Coronavirus China

The View | China’s safe exit from zero-Covid is in the hands of its local cadres

To accomplish the mammoth task of vaccinating its unvaccinated and undervaccinated population, Beijing needs to suitably loosen the reins and encourage local policy innovation. Why not replace GDP growth with vaccination targets as a key measure of local cadre performance?

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Coronavirus pandemic

My Take | Zero-Covid’s end brings a difficult transition to living with the virus

The policy gave mainland China time to prepare for an end of restrictions. We are about to find out how prepared it is.

A man checks his medicine bought from a pharmacy as a queue forms outside in Beijing as China began implementing a more relaxed version of its strict ‘zero-COVID’ policy. Photo: AP
Coronavirus China

How China hopes to chart path to soft landing as Covid restrictions ease

A feared wave of infections would put enormous stress on the healthcare and public service systems and, Beijing fears, could even trigger political instability.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
Coronavirus pandemic

Asian Angle | Can Hong Kong scrap remaining Covid-19 rules before it is too late?

Hong Kong’s economy has suffered as a result of clinging to Covid-19 restrictions far longer than necessary, in contrast to regional rival Singapore.

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US-China relations

US manufacturers with ties to China applaud easing of Covid-19 restrictions

But analysts warn that Beijing’s policy change in wake of rare street protests doesn’t necessarily signal stability or a return to the pre-pandemic status quo.

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Coronavirus China

Opinion | China’s Covid troubles show why it’s no serious threat to the US

Talk of great power rivalry with the US makes China look strong and powerful, but recent unrest at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory shows a different narrative. China is not yet on an equal footing with the US: while it struggles to develop its hi-tech prowess amid US restrictions, it must protect its vulnerable position in the global supply chain.

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Workers queue up to get tested for Covid-19 at the Foxconn factory in Wuhan, Hubei province, on August 5, 2021. Labour shortages and demonstrations at the Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou have renewed concerns over China’s increasingly precarious place in the global supply chain. Photo: AP
Coronavirus China

China eases more Covid-19 restrictions amid shift in pandemic policy

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Coronavirus China

Opinion | China’s Covid lockdowns put policy before people

At the start of the pandemic, China won praise for its seeming ability to unite the public behind its contagion-fighting measures. But after three years of unrelenting lockdowns and a string of tragedies, that facade has fallen to reveal a policy that risks undermining human rights.

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Coronavirus China

Mental health crisis looms for young Chinese after 3 years of pandemic

Internet friends instead of real-life relationships, online dependence, depression and anxiety are among the pandemic effects noted by researchers.

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