A Shanghai success will not solve China’s Covid-19 policy dilemma

The massive resources sent to the city may contain the outbreak but can the financial powerhouse afford any further disruption?

China is looking for an exit strategy but has yet to find a satisfactory formula that keeps the economy running and protects the vulnerable

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Shanghai’s makeshift hospital accepted its first patients on Monday after 6,000 workers and technicians raced to finish it in about a week. Photo: Xinhua

Josephine Ma

Josephine Ma is China news editor and has covered China news for the Post for more than 20 years.

Published: 8:00pm, 5 Apr 2022Updated: 11:41pm, 11 Apr 2022

The Chinese government’s ability and determination to mobilise its vast resources against Covid-19 were on display this week in Shanghai – but so was its desperation.

A total of 38,000 medical personnel from around the country, along with soldiers and a fleet of Y-20 military transport planes, arrived to carry out the city’s mass testing of its 25 million people.

At the same time, 6,000 workers and technicians were racing to finish a makeshift hospital with 15,000 beds in about a week.

Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan arrived in Shanghai on Saturday with a stern message for local officials – the city must return to zero cases as soon as possible.

It was the latest stop for the Politburo member in charge of the Covid-19 fight, who has been travelling to the country’s hotspots over the past few months with a mission to contain the outbreaks before Omicron spreads like wildfire.

But there is a long way to go, with Shanghai reporting a record 13,354 positive cases on Tuesday – bringing its total to around 70,000 local infections since March 1.