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Chinese state media admit ‘different views’ on zero-Covid, say policy shift long in the making
- Communist Party mouthpiece recounts slew of meetings on strategy, challenging narrative that Beijing was unprepared for pandemic pivot
- The article comes amid mounting grievances over medication shortages and crowded hospitals as Omicron rips through Chinese population
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Jane Caiin Beijing
Beijing has challenged the narrative that its pandemic policy shift was poorly planned while also striking a conciliatory tone by acknowledging “different views” about the zero-Covid strategy.
On Monday, the website of People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, carried an article of more than 9,000 words explaining Covid-19 policy discussions from November 10.
The article, reported by official news agency Xinhua, provides an account of leaders’ consultations with medical experts before the December 7 policy shift and measures taken afterwards.
It comes amid growing discontent as Omicron rips through the population after the removal of most Covid-19 control measures. Grievances have mounted over a dearth of fever-reducing medicine, overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums as well as an acute blood shortage across the nation, with many accusing Beijing of being unprepared for the policy pivot.
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The article recounts a slew of meetings held in the month before the policy change, including consultations with a group of experts on November 30 and December 1, which were hosted by Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan.
The group was led by Zhang Boli, a traditional Chinese medicine expert with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Shen Hongbing, director of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, and included eight frontline medical workers.
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The meetings followed protests in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and other major cities in late November as people vented their frustration and opposition to stringent Covid-19 curbs.
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