Visitors to the Shanghai Disneyland were caught up in China’s zero-Covid-19 approach, which the country’s top respiratory diseases expert Zhong Nanshan said last week was less costly than living with the disease. Photo: AP
Good morning. My name is Mimi Lau, China correspondent with a focus on human rights, religious and ethnic affairs, labour issues, and civil society. I spent nearly eight years in southern China from 2009 before returning to Hong Kong in 2017 and I continue to keep an eye on the stories unfolding in China on these contentious fronts. I also host the South China Morning Post’s Inside China podcast. Follow me on Twitter @gzmimi for more.
Last week’s biggest news was the dispute between China and the US at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. President Joe Biden lashed out at Chinese and Russian leaders for their absence while China hit back by drawing attention to the US record, including its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and back-pedalling on climate policies.
Meanwhile, more than 100 nations pledged to cut methane emissions by at least 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030, but China, Russia and India backed out of the commitment.
Politics
In the coming week, the Chinese Communist Party is holding its sixth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee. This is significant as it comes ahead of next year’s national congress, a twice-a-decade power transition to be held in the autumn. A new resolution on the party’s “major achievements and historical experience” is expected to be adopted at a political gathering in Beijing on Monday.
The resolution is the main item on the plenum’s agenda and it will be the third in history since the party was founded 100 years ago. Traditionally, the party’s resolutions on history carried profound influence on Chinese politics but analysts expect the third resolution to be more modest in tone, while affirming Xi’s authority and policies.
Economy
In other news, frantic buying was triggered in China when the commerce ministry issued a notice on November 1 telling local authorities to stabilise food supply and prices. Families were also encouraged to store a certain amount of necessities to meet the needs of daily life and emergencies.
Anxious shoppers were spotted snatching groceries from shelves, while long lines were seen at some supermarkets. Videos of aggressive shoppers fighting over food items were widely viewed on Chinese social media.
Covid-19
China’s heavily criticised zero Covid-19 strategy is here to stay, despite the nation only experiencing sporadic outbreaks with most Chinese citizens now vaccinated.
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As more countries ditch ‘zero-Covid’ policy, why is China opting to ‘wait and see’?
As more countries ditch ‘zero-Covid’ policy, why is China opting to ‘wait and see’?
China’s top respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan defended one of the world’s toughest approaches to containing Covid-19, saying it was still less costly than living with the disease and reintroducing restrictions each time outbreaks occurred. This is despite multiple countries – including Britain, Singapore and South Korea – starting to ease restrictions on travel and social gatherings.
Military
The number of PLA aircraft entering Taiwan’s air defence zone hit a fresh high, with 16 sorties a day after an official delegation from the European Parliament arrived on the island. The previous record was set in early October.
Society
A 32-year-old millennial grabbed attention on Chinese social media with her frugal-living tips on how she managed to buy two flats in the wealthy city of Nanjing by saving 90 per cent of her salary. Tens of thousands of threads were started by people debating whether to emulate her extreme lifestyle.
