China’s security chief vows crackdown on ‘hostile forces’ after protests against Covid restrictions

Name: Protests flare across China over zero-Covid, lockdowns after deadly Urumqi fire
Uploaded: 2022-11-30T05:55:55.000Z
Duration: 3 min 59 s
Description: Protests flare across China over zero-Covid, lockdowns after deadly Urumqi fire

State media calls on Chinese public to ‘build a barrier of epidemic prevention and control’

Days after 10 died in Urumqi fire, security forces are urged to prevent and contain major accidents to protect lives and property

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Protesters across China have expressed anger over strict zero-Covid measures. showing a rare direct challenge to the Communist Party. Photo: AP

Phoebe Zhang

Published: 1:55pm, 30 Nov 2022Updated: 6:14pm, 30 Nov 2022

The Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on Wednesday called on the Chinese public to “build a barrier of epidemic prevention and control” as Beijing’s top security chief pledged to crack down on “hostile forces” following a weekend of rare protests against China’s zero-Covid strategy.

People’s Daily said the pandemic situation in China remained complex, with cluster cases in some regions and the number of local cases rising, particularly because of the short incubation period and more rapid spread of the Omicron variant. It said under these circumstances, negligence in any link or any careless behaviour might cause a rebound in the virus.

Wednesday’s article called for more precise measures, caution, cooperation and confidence, saying people’s thoughts and actions “must be unified with the spirit of Xi Jinping’s important instructions and arrangements of the party Central Committee”, and people must bear responsibility and maintain focus to win the pandemic control war.

03:59

Protests flare across China over zero-Covid, lockdowns after deadly Urumqi fire

On Monday, the Chinese Communist Party’s security chief vowed to crack down on “hostile forces”, after people took to the streets in multiple cities and university campuses at the weekend to protest against stringent Covid-19 restrictions.

The remarks were made during a meeting chaired by Chen Wenqing, head of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, the party’s top security organ, according to state news agency Xinhua. Chen is a member of the 24-strong Politburo that was newly formed in October.

The meeting was convened to “study recent decisions and deployments by the party’s leadership”, according to the report. It did not elaborate on the content of those decisions.

Chen Wenqing, head of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. Photo: CCTV

The meeting called for law-enforcement agencies around the country to take strong measures to safeguard national security and social stability, implement Xi Jinping Thought on the rule of law and national security, and strengthen a “fighting spirit”.

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