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

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

China’s zero-Covid protests

Phoebe Zhangin Shenzhen

Published: 1:55pm, 30 Nov 2022

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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”.

Security forces were called to enhance their political judgment and to settle disputes and people’s difficulties in a timely manner. Furthermore, the meeting called for a firm crackdown “against infiltration and sabotage activities by hostile forces, illegal activities that disrupt social order according to law”, to maintain stability.

It also urged efforts to eliminate risks in industrial production, and “resolutely prevent and contain major accidents” to protect people’s lives and property.

Chen’s body oversees all China’s police officers, prosecutors, courts, prisons and spy agencies. The meeting on Monday was also attended by the country’s top police chief, its top prosecutor and top judge.

It was convened a day after protests erupted in a handful of Chinese cities, including the capital Beijing, where people gathered to mourn victims of a fire in Urumqi, the capital of the western Xinjiang region, last week and to vent anger over the three-year-old zero-Covid strategy imposed by Beijing.

The readout did not mention the protests, which have barely been acknowledged by Chinese authorities.

When asked about public sentiment against the current measures during a press conference on Tuesday, a spokesman with the National Health Commission said Beijing was “constantly studying and adjusting” its Covid-19 restrictions.

During the weekend demonstrations, people carried pieces of white paper and chanted slogans demanding that restrictive measures be eased. At Tsinghua University, the alma mater of President Xi Jinping, students called for “rule of law and freedom of expression”.

03:00

Protesters around the world rally behind Covid demonstrators in China

Authorities reacted quickly to the unrest and have increased police presence on the streets in the past few days. People were arrested both during protests and afterwards, according to media reports.

The authorities have tried to track down people who took part in the protests as well as those who went to the scene to watch. Some were issued with warnings and others were summoned to local police stations, the South China Morning Post has learned.

Immediately after the protests, accusations circulated on social media that participants were organised and incited by “foreign forces”.

There have been moves in China to relax some Covid-19 restrictions, such as allowing some groups to opt out of mass daily testing and announcing plans to step up vaccination among the elderly.

Additional reporting by Jun Mai

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