China doubles down on zero-Covid policy ahead of Communist Party congress
- Health Minister Ma Xiaowei tells party journal the bottom line is to prevent outbreaks and consolidate hard-won results
- Any relaxation could trigger an outbreak that could crush the country’s healthcare system, he warns
In a front-page article published on Monday by Study Times, Ma Xiaowei urged the country to stick to the “dynamic zero-Covid” policy and take a clear-cut stand against “erroneous” thoughts of “coexisting with the virus”.
The bottom line was to prevent a large-scale rebound in cases and consolidate the hard-won results of pandemic control to welcome the opening of the five-yearly congress, expected in the second half of the year, he said in the commentary for the Central Party School journal.
Ma’s article comes as domestic concerns have been raised over whether China’s hardline dynamic zero policy is sustainable in the face of more transmissible but milder variants like Omicron.
China’s past efforts in containing dozens of outbreaks – including the more transmissible but milder Omicron variant – have been praised not only in China, but also by the WHO and respected scientific journals like The Lancet and Nature.
The Chinese government considers its handling of the pandemic as a proof of the superiority of its political system and how the party and its leader President Xi Jinping prioritise people and life.