https://www.scmp.com/rss/514303/feed A series of protests broke out in multiple Chinese cities in late 2022, as citizens vented their anger against China’s zero-Covid strategy, which has kept infections at a low level but also brought disruptions to economic and social life. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com China’s reputation as one of the world’s safest countries seems increasingly difficult to justify after a spate of seemingly random killings. Last month alone, two shocking attacks made global headlines: 35 are dead after a driver rammed his car into a crowd in Zhuhai city in Guangdong province, and another eight were killed in a knife attack in Yixing city in Jiangsu province. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for enhanced risk prevention, timely conflict resolution and strict measures.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3288836/spate-random-killings-rooted-chinas-social-and-economic-despair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3288836/spate-random-killings-rooted-chinas-social-and-economic-despair?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2024 01:30:09 +0000 The Chinese government enjoyed significantly increased public support after the first Covid-19 lockdown in Wuhan, but its approval saw a “sharp decline” – to lower than pre-pandemic levels – in the wake of Shanghai’s shutdown two years later. Researchers from three universities in Denmark, the United States and Hong Kong, found that people surveyed during the lockdown in February 2020 gave an average score of 8.5 out of 10 when rating their trust in Beijing – up from 8 out of 10 in May... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3265317/chinas-covid-19-response-rallied-public-until-shanghai-lockdown-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3265317/chinas-covid-19-response-rallied-public-until-shanghai-lockdown-study?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jun 2024 06:00:14 +0000 Researchers have analysed early Covid-19 cases and challenged a conclusion about how the pandemic started. A previous study concluded that a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan was the early epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic but a pair of statisticians in Germany and Hong Kong said the “the statistical conclusion is invalid”. Dietrich Stoyan, a mathematician at TU Bergakademie Freiberg in Germany, and Chiu Sung-nok, a professor in the department of mathematics at Hong Kong Baptist... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3250106/covid-19-origins-researchers-challenge-early-paper-pointing-wuhan-market-epicentre-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3250106/covid-19-origins-researchers-challenge-early-paper-pointing-wuhan-market-epicentre-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jan 2024 04:16:09 +0000 On a chilly afternoon in late November, 16-year-old Bruce finished his morning shift at a coffee shop in a busy shopping district in Beijing and returned to his unusual rented flat in the northeastern suburbs of China’s capital. The 18 square metre flat that Bruce (not his real name) lives in was once a temporary Covid-19 hospital. It resembles a standard room in a cheap hotel with a single bed, air conditioning, a TV and a bathroom. It still contains clues to its original role. Buildings were... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3243642/want-rent-affordable-flat-one-chinas-former-pop-covid-hospitals-why-some-people-are-not-so-keen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3243642/want-rent-affordable-flat-one-chinas-former-pop-covid-hospitals-why-some-people-are-not-so-keen?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Dec 2023 22:00:15 +0000 China is planning to regulate file-sharing among nearby mobile devices for “national security” reasons, in a move expected to impact the use of such communication apps such as Apple’s AirDrop. According to a draft released by China’s top internet watchdog, the new rules aim to limit the use of any “file transfer services that rely on Wi-fi, Bluetooth, and other information technologies to form networks instantly and communicate to other devices over a short-range”. The Cyberspace Administration... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3223303/apples-airdrop-focus-china-moves-restrict-wi-fi-bluetooth-file-sharing-over-national-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3223303/apples-airdrop-focus-china-moves-restrict-wi-fi-bluetooth-file-sharing-over-national-security?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jun 2023 12:55:51 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai The Ministry of Public Security will send out more officers to do grass-roots policing across China, as it tries to nip any social instability in the bud. It aims to “make every effort to strengthen the grass-roots foundation of national security and social stability”, according to a document outlining the three-year plan posted to the ministry’s website on March 28. Under the plan, more officers will be deployed to police stations, residential communities in cities, and villages in rural... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3215865/china-deploying-more-officers-grass-roots-policing-across-country?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3215865/china-deploying-more-officers-grass-roots-policing-across-country?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Apr 2023 01:00:26 +0000 China has rolled out a nationwide “fact-finding campaign” to listen to truths on the ground as a starting point for good policymaking. “You must listen to true words, inspect real situations, be loyal to truth and correct any wrongs,” according to a recent circular issued by the ruling Communist Party to cadres. “You must report both good news and bad news.” The campaign sends a strong signal that China’s leadership is not 100 per cent happy about screened information from the bottom and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3215021/why-beijings-new-fact-finding-campaign-drive-better-policy-chance-end-destructive-path-punishing-bad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3215021/why-beijings-new-fact-finding-campaign-drive-better-policy-chance-end-destructive-path-punishing-bad?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Mar 2023 23:00:17 +0000 Until early 2022, I was content with writing in a “safe” way. My Chinese column was only critical of British politics, and my English book on China took a middle ground – which itself required some courage. Yet I decided to take a leap and speak up fully. Most Chinese writers are only willing to politely give advice to the Chinese government, not criticise it. This is because in China, those who publicly criticise the government immediately sense that trouble is coming. Strangely, there is no... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3206442/finding-courage-criticise-covid-19-injustice-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3206442/finding-courage-criticise-covid-19-injustice-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Jan 2023 19:30:07 +0000 After three years of tough pandemic controls, China’s sudden U-turn on its zero-Covid policy last month has brought relief but also anxiety that the country is unprepared for the surge in cases. In the first of a five-part series on the policy change and its impact, William Zheng looks at the political factors behind Beijing’s decision to reopen. In the last two months of 2022, the world watched in astonishment as China made an abrupt U-turn on its strict zero-Covid strategy, calling off three... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3206089/how-political-and-economic-pressure-led-beijings-abrupt-u-turn-zero-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3206089/how-political-and-economic-pressure-led-beijings-abrupt-u-turn-zero-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jan 2023 22:00:17 +0000 It has become apparent that mainland China has botched its Covid-19 reopening. After three years of maintaining a strict zero-Covid policy, the surprise at its about-face has been surpassed only by questions as to why such a costly, unsustainable policy was pursued for so long. Economists and historians will spend years trying to find the answers to three mysteries in relation to China’s (mis)handling of the pandemic. First is the question of what the true costs of the zero-Covid policy were,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3205747/chinas-zero-covid-policy-botched-reopening-will-puzzle-historians-years-come?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3205747/chinas-zero-covid-policy-botched-reopening-will-puzzle-historians-years-come?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jan 2023 04:00:08 +0000 Is it too early to predict that 2022 was the beginning of the end of the democratic recession that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken keeps warning us about? Was it the year that autocracy began to collapse under its own weight? The most obvious indicator is Russian President Vladimir’s Putin’s vastly diminished position following setbacks in Ukraine. Instead of swallowing Ukraine, he’s made the world wonder why Russia was granted a higher geopolitical stature than its economy would justify... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3205307/2022-brought-western-democracies-together-internal-divides-remain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3205307/2022-brought-western-democracies-together-internal-divides-remain?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jan 2023 19:30:09 +0000 “You’re going back to Europe?” “Are you insane? You’ll catch Covid there!” “Stay in China, seriously, it’s safer here!” As soon as my relatives and friends heard of my trip, they all reacted as if I was about to jump into a boiling pot of viruses. On the contrary, after a month without masks or tests, I’m still safe and sound while the same people who warned me all ended up with Covid-19, no one spared. As I follow the latest outbreak, my mind goes back to two months of lockdown in Shanghai, an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3205171/end-2022-marks-time-china-end-its-zero-covid-roller-coaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3205171/end-2022-marks-time-china-end-its-zero-covid-roller-coaster?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Dec 2022 22:30:07 +0000 Singapore healthcare providers are expecting a wave of travellers requiring pre-departure PCR coronavirus tests in the coming months as China eases its border measures. Unihealth handles around 100-150 swabs for such tests across its four clinics each week, and it expects these numbers to increase. Medical director and family doctor Xie Huizhuang said there had been a 15-20 per cent increase in demand for the tests since mid-November, with much of it coming from Chinese nationals returning... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3203896/singapore-doctors-expect-more-pcr-testing-china-eases-covid-measures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3203896/singapore-doctors-expect-more-pcr-testing-china-eases-covid-measures?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Dec 2022 13:59:04 +0000 Politicians and the media in polarised US put their differences aside and threw their support behind the zero-Covid protesters in China. CNN proclaimed: “Protests erupt across China in unprecedented challenge to Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy”. Fox News shouted: “BEIJING BACKS DOWN: Chinese citizens ‘empowered’ after Covid protests, China researcher says”. The zero-Covid protests are a contributory factor to China’s decision to relax its measures, but the Western media portrayal is an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3203481/why-china-moving-carefully-away-zero-covid-or-without-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3203481/why-china-moving-carefully-away-zero-covid-or-without-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Dec 2022 17:00:08 +0000 Protests have erupted in medical schools and hospitals across China in the past two weeks, with medical students on the Covid front line demanding better pay and protection against the disease. The South China Morning Post confirmed that school administrators in central China’s Wuhan, Hubei province, and to the east in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, agreed to some of the protesters’ demands. Viral videos on social media show medical students gathering in a handful of other cities, shouting “equal... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3203548/coronavirus-china-medical-students-demand-better-pay-protection-covid-front-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3203548/coronavirus-china-medical-students-demand-better-pay-protection-covid-front-line?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Dec 2022 09:00:12 +0000 Last month’s protests in China were caused by local government failures to manage Covid-19, but were soon “taken advantage of” by foreign forces, Beijing’s ambassador to France has said. A transcript of Lu Shaye’s comments to journalists at a reception on December 7 was published on the embassy’s website and marks the first time a Chinese official has talked publicly about the rare scenes that erupted in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and other places. “In the beginning, I think the Chinese public... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3203384/diplomat-blames-foreign-forces-boosting-chinas-covid-19-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3203384/diplomat-blames-foreign-forces-boosting-chinas-covid-19-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Dec 2022 05:34:19 +0000 In a horrific incident in Australia this week, two police officers and a member of the public were fatally shot in an ambush attack in Queensland. Another two officers were injured in the Monday night attack. Our research shows attacks on police are increasing both in Australia and internationally, which may be a result of growing civil unrest. Data before the Covid-19 pandemic revealed that civil unrest had doubled globally in the past decade, including an increase in violent riots and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3203180/australia-shooting-highlights-global-rise-anti-police-sentiment-us-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3203180/australia-shooting-highlights-global-rise-anti-police-sentiment-us-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Dec 2022 16:30:08 +0000 Despite the State Council’s assurance to the contrary last week, China’s exit from zero-Covid – which has begun in megacities – could unfold in a chaotic, rather than orderly, manner across the country. Even before the new relaxations were announced, the State Council’s previously outlined 20 measures to guide the easing of Covid-19 controls were not consistently observed even within Beijing. This led to bargaining between overzealous grass-roots organisations that were sometimes acting under... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202970/china-can-safely-exit-zero-covid-giving-local-cadres-right-incentive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202970/china-can-safely-exit-zero-covid-giving-local-cadres-right-incentive?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Dec 2022 08:30:10 +0000 China’s zero-Covid policy, with its intensive testing, tracing, travel curbs and lockdowns, has cast a dark shadow over Hong Kong during the pandemic. Faith in the strategy was required, as if it were a religion. Zero-Covid, it seemed, would be pursued indefinitely, and at whatever cost. It was hailed as evidence of China’s superior approach. The rest of the world, having lifted restrictions, was condemned for “lying flat”. After all that, it is difficult to grasp that zero-Covid has been... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/3202845/zero-covids-end-brings-difficult-transition-living-virus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/3202845/zero-covids-end-brings-difficult-transition-living-virus?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Dec 2022 13:02:09 +0000 Days after a deadly fire in Urumqi propelled fatigued communities to take to the streets, China has initiated an unannounced yet palpable movement away from its “zero-Covid” strategy by lifting lockdowns, ending mass testing and reopening public venues across key provinces. But Beijing is concerned that the inevitable wave of infections after restrictions are loosened, could lead to a surge in deaths, overwhelm the health system and trigger political instability. Policy and public health... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202536/how-china-hopes-chart-path-soft-landing-after-covid-restrictions-start-ease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202536/how-china-hopes-chart-path-soft-landing-after-covid-restrictions-start-ease?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Dec 2022 22:00:09 +0000 With mainland China rapidly easing up on its dynamic zero-Covid policy, the critical question confronting Hong Kong now is whether it wants to get ahead of the curve by removing most (if not all) of its remaining Covid restrictions. Failure to do so may well leave Hong Kong as the last jurisdiction in the world in 2023 to still have pandemic restrictions from 2020. There is little doubt that Covid restrictions in Hong Kong have delayed, quite unnecessarily, the economic recovery that should have... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3202432/beijing-eases-zero-covid-can-hong-kong-get-ahead-curve-and-scrap-remaining-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3202432/beijing-eases-zero-covid-can-hong-kong-get-ahead-curve-and-scrap-remaining-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Dec 2022 01:00:16 +0000 China’s sudden shift away from its strict Covid-19 containment measures took many US analysts by surprise, sparking expectations that Beijing’s apparent policy response to popular unrest would allow for a return to pre-pandemic normalcy and possibly warmer Sino-US ties. However, most are bracing for a wave of infections in China that will prevent an immediate shift back to the status quo, and some question the extent to which business-as-usual will lead to a broader improvement in bilateral... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3202467/us-manufacturers-ties-china-applaud-easing-covid-19-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3202467/us-manufacturers-ties-china-applaud-easing-covid-19-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Dec 2022 23:24:50 +0000 As a Chinese person, I sometimes consider the claim China is the biggest threat to the United States flattering. In 2021, even though China’s annual GDP was not too far behind that of the United States, China’s GDP per capita of US$12,556 was far behind the US mark of US$69,287. Also, while the US sent people to the moon in 1969, China only recently completed building Tiangong, its first space station. Therefore, this great power rivalry that puts China on an equal footing with the US is a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202144/chinas-covid-troubles-show-why-its-not-ready-compete-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202144/chinas-covid-troubles-show-why-its-not-ready-compete-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Dec 2022 17:00:13 +0000 A Chinese friend here in the UK told me she has been in a heavy mood lately. “No Chinese person with a conscience can avoid what is happening in China,” she said, then added: “When I compare the Covid-19 lockdowns here and there, I finally know what democracy is.” It is indeed difficult for first-generation Chinese living overseas to understand what democracy is. Our thinking is at least 100 years behind that of contemporary British people. We mostly aspire to the acquisition of money and power,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201806/chinas-covid-lockdown-plight-result-putting-policy-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201806/chinas-covid-lockdown-plight-result-putting-policy-people?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Dec 2022 19:30:08 +0000 While major Chinese cities have started phasing out draconian Covid-19 measures, the consequences of prolonged social isolation on mental health are unfolding in hundreds of millions of students across the nation. In the longest school closures among major countries, mainland China’s students were made to sit in front of computers at home and listen to live or recorded lessons for their schooling, an expedient option taken by local governments seeking to prevent transmission on campuses. Over... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202120/mass-mental-health-crisis-looms-young-chinese-after-3-years-lockdowns-home-school-and-zero-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202120/mass-mental-health-crisis-looms-young-chinese-after-3-years-lockdowns-home-school-and-zero-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Dec 2022 14:00:22 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3202139/women-leading-chinas-covid-19-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3202139/women-leading-chinas-covid-19-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Dec 2022 10:17:31 +0000 Although China’s daily Covid-19 cases are near all-time highs, some cities are taking steps to loosen testing and quarantine rules after President Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy triggered a sharp economic slowdown and public unrest across several major cities. While the recent protests are not a threat to Communist Party rule, they could affect Xi’s personal standing, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said. ‘No need to panic’: Chinese city pushes ‘flu-like’ Covid message as curbs... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201992/chinas-zero-covid-protests-spark-some-easing-xi-jinping-still-not-open-western-vaccines-us-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201992/chinas-zero-covid-protests-spark-some-easing-xi-jinping-still-not-open-western-vaccines-us-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Dec 2022 04:43:25 +0000 Nearly three years of snap lockdowns, business upheaval and volatile travel restrictions under China’s stringent zero-Covid policy have pushed people to their mental and financial limits while having an outsized impact on the nation’s economy. With lives and livelihoods on the line, many people are frustrated, angry and confused – pondering the continued validity of an unwavering strategy that was designed to protect the most vulnerable in society from infections while keeping economic... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3201886/how-chinas-zero-covid-policy-has-pushed-people-economy-brink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3201886/how-chinas-zero-covid-policy-has-pushed-people-economy-brink?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Dec 2022 00:00:26 +0000 Three years of stringent Covid controls have not only strained China’s economy and its people’s way of life, but also unleashed protests across mainland cities and on university campuses. As a result, the coronavirus and a rare show of public defiance continue to put the country’s controversial “zero-Covid” policy to the test. In a positive response, Beijing has signalled a new chapter in the country’s campaign against the pandemic with small, progressive refinements to restrictive measures. Sun... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201894/china-needs-support-people-declare-victory-over-virus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201894/china-needs-support-people-declare-victory-over-virus?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Dec 2022 23:45:06 +0000 A top official at the World Health Organization said the UN agency was “pleased” to see China loosening some of its coronavirus restrictions, saying “it’s really important that governments listen to their people when the people are in pain”. At a press briefing on Friday, WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said the organisation was glad to see China “adjusting their current strategies” in trying to recalibrate their response to Covid-19. Last week, huge protests against the severe Covid-19... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3201918/who-pleased-see-china-ease-strict-zero-covid-policies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3201918/who-pleased-see-china-ease-strict-zero-covid-policies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Dec 2022 18:49:57 +0000 As protests erupt in China, Iran, Brazil and Europe, social scientists will have a field day dissecting why. The proximate causes appear to be discontent with the pandemic, loss of jobs and income, high inflation, and authorities’ mishandling of these situations. But there are deeper issues regarding how the managing elites continue to misread what the masses feel after years of neglect. The economist/psychologist Daniel Kahneman asked: why are we blind to our blindness? That can be attributed... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201649/global-protests-are-result-years-neglect-deluded-elite-remain-blind-realities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201649/global-protests-are-result-years-neglect-deluded-elite-remain-blind-realities?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Dec 2022 17:30:11 +0000 Hong Kong’s Security Bureau has accused a former radio presenter of “disregarding the facts” after he wrote an opinion piece that questioned a minister’s stance that protests linked to ones in mainland China showed signs of a “colour revolution”. The bureau’s remarks on Friday were in response to an article from Tsang Chi-ho in local Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao that took aim at Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung’s characterisation of city-based protests in support of those... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3201913/hong-kongs-security-bureau-accuses-former-radio-host-disregarding-facts-over-opinion-piece-ministers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3201913/hong-kongs-security-bureau-accuses-former-radio-host-disregarding-facts-over-opinion-piece-ministers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Dec 2022 15:12:54 +0000 While local protests in China over environmental, labour and land disputes are not uncommon, the rare wave of blank-paper protests that spilled across China’s wealthiest cities – all targeting President Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy – represents a challenge of the type the country’s leaders have not faced for decades. The protests erupted last weekend after a fire at a residential block in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, claimed 10 lives. University students and angry citizens staged vigils on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201879/why-chinas-lockdown-protests-pose-unprecedented-challenge-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201879/why-chinas-lockdown-protests-pose-unprecedented-challenge-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Dec 2022 14:30:16 +0000 The wisest and most informed prediction on the Covid protests in China comes from a tweet by William Hurst, Chong Hua Professor of Chinese Development at the University of Cambridge. It reads: “The most likely scenario I can see is that the protests fizzle out (as most such movements do in most countries). Having erupted spontaneously in a short period, they will fade away without reaching any climax or denouement.” It’s the single tweet that beats a thousand nonsensical and exaggerated... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201846/same-old-doom-mongers-catch-another-cold-covid-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201846/same-old-doom-mongers-catch-another-cold-covid-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Dec 2022 13:00:29 +0000 Several Chinese cities have rolled back PCR testing, a cornerstone of China’s zero-Covid response, and called for the use of rapid antigen tests in a sign that virus control rules are being further relaxed in the country. Beijing authorities asked hospitals not to turn patients away if they have provided a negative PCR test within the previous 48 hours. Instead, they can take a rapid antigen test and be admitted to different areas depending on the results. Children under three years old are... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201801/coronavirus-cities-china-roll-back-testing-sign-shift-strict-zero-covid-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201801/coronavirus-cities-china-roll-back-testing-sign-shift-strict-zero-covid-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Dec 2022 05:41:16 +0000 By Monday at 6.40pm a crowd of over 100 had gathered at George Washington University’s Kogan Plaza. They had come to honour victims of a deadly fire in Xinjiang the week before – deaths that many blame on China’s “zero-Covid” lockdowns. The plaza was adorned with candles, flowers and protest signs, but there was no event programme and no clear leader. Many people there had found out about the protest just hours before. The event was thrown together the previous day by mainland Chinese students... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201760/inspired-rare-protests-mainland-chinese-students-north-america-organise-and-speak-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201760/inspired-rare-protests-mainland-chinese-students-north-america-organise-and-speak-out?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2022 23:50:55 +0000 Over the weekend, there were protests in several major cities in China over Covid-19 restrictions. In response, some commentators including the “China doomsday” prophet Gordon Chang are again predicting the beginning of the end for Communist Party rule, while others such as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in his first major foreign policy speech, cited the protest crackdowns as evidence of Beijing’s challenge to Western values. The protests in China are reactions of Covid-19 restriction... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201458/why-politicise-chinas-zero-covid-protests-when-its-just-covid-fatigue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201458/why-politicise-chinas-zero-covid-protests-when-its-just-covid-fatigue?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2022 19:30:13 +0000 As part of SCMP’s commitment to providing comprehensive coverage of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin’s death and legacy, this story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. President Xi Jinping led dozens of top officials in receiving the body of former President Jiang Zemin on Thursday, after the casket was flown from Shanghai to Beijing. State broadcaster CCTV showed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan standing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201669/china-online-nostalgia-late-president-jiang-zemins-leadership-stands-out-contrast-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201669/china-online-nostalgia-late-president-jiang-zemins-leadership-stands-out-contrast-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2022 08:19:25 +0000 Shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic erupted in March 2020, many investment strategists became amateur epidemiologists, producing reams of research on the virus – some of it highly technical – in the hope of determining the level of disruption and its implications for different sectors of the economy and asset prices. Never mind that modelling the evolution of the pathogen posed enough of a challenge for experienced virologists, and that traders misjudged the economic fallout – particularly the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201645/why-markets-mustnt-overread-tea-leaves-chinas-covid-protests-and-reopening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201645/why-markets-mustnt-overread-tea-leaves-chinas-covid-protests-and-reopening?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2022 07:45:10 +0000 China’s top official in charge of Covid-19 controls has signalled a new chapter in the country’s pandemic response with small, progressive refinements to restrictive measures, in a sign the zero-Covid policy may be gradually phased out. In a meeting with experts from the National Health Commission on Wednesday, Sun Chunlan – the vice-premier who has led the battle against Covid-19 for the past three years – also acknowledged that the Omicron variant is more transmissible but less deadly,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201641/coronavirus-china-sun-chunlan-signals-new-phase-covid-19-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201641/coronavirus-china-sun-chunlan-signals-new-phase-covid-19-control?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2022 04:21:56 +0000 As people in China find themselves navigating endless lockdowns, public criticism of “zero-Covid” is increasing. For the Communist Party leadership, this stunning reversal from an initial victory against Covid-19 shows just how bad things can become if you lack a long-term strategy. After the original outbreak in Wuhan, the party defied preliminary assessments in the West to emerge victorious against Covid-19. This success, contrasted with the tragic toll of the global pandemic, became a new... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201397/china-needs-timeline-ending-zero-covid-regain-public-trust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201397/china-needs-timeline-ending-zero-covid-regain-public-trust?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2022 00:15:16 +0000 China’s stringent “zero-Covid” restrictions have affected the American economy by dragging on global supply chains, the top central banker of the United States said on Wednesday. When China has shutdowns in regions that are deeply connected to the world economy, supply chains are “less efficient, less effective” and the prices of goods manufactured or assembled in the country are affected, said US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. “It does have an implication for the US,” he said at an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201617/us-federal-reserve-chairman-jerome-powell-says-chinas-strict-zero-covid-policy-hinders-global-supply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201617/us-federal-reserve-chairman-jerome-powell-says-chinas-strict-zero-covid-policy-hinders-global-supply?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Nov 2022 23:27:18 +0000 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... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201516/chinas-security-chief-vows-crackdown-hostile-forces-after-protests-against-covid-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201516/chinas-security-chief-vows-crackdown-hostile-forces-after-protests-against-covid-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Nov 2022 05:55:55 +0000 China’s severe zero-Covid restrictions are undercutting the ability of US diplomats to do their job, at times in potential violation of bilateral consular agreements, at a time when relations are already strained, a top US diplomat in China said Tuesday. Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to Beijing, said strict enforcement of pandemic rules has made it difficult to visit Chinese ministries or US consulates around the country, move consular staff in and out of the country or attend to American... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201482/top-us-envoy-china-says-zero-covid-restrictions-block-access-americans-possibly-violating-agreement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201482/top-us-envoy-china-says-zero-covid-restrictions-block-access-americans-possibly-violating-agreement?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Nov 2022 02:32:03 +0000 The US embassy in Beijing is urging American citizens in China to stock up on daily necessities in case of quarantines and lockdowns amid protests in major cities against the nation’s zero-Covid policy as cases soar and controls tighten. In a statement directed at American citizens on Monday, the embassy said Chinese authorities had expanded Covid-19 prevention restrictions and control measures as outbreaks happen. The measures could include residential quarantines, mass testing, closures,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201339/us-embassy-china-urges-americans-stock-daily-necessities-amid-covid-surge-and-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201339/us-embassy-china-urges-americans-stock-daily-necessities-amid-covid-surge-and-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Nov 2022 23:24:26 +0000 US President Joe Biden’s administration backed “everyone’s right to peacefully protest” in its initial response to a groundswell of public outrage in several Chinese cities against Beijing’s continued zero-Covid policy. “This includes in the [People’s Republic of China]”, the White House National Security Council announced, adding that it would be “very difficult” for China to contain the virus through the strict strategy pursued by President Xi Jinping since the pandemic started. The statement,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201338/us-republicans-slam-biden-weakness-china-protests-uks-sunak-seethes-over-journalist-detention?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201338/us-republicans-slam-biden-weakness-china-protests-uks-sunak-seethes-over-journalist-detention?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Nov 2022 22:52:26 +0000 A broad slide on Wall Street left stocks lower on Monday as global financial markets reacted to protests in China calling for President Xi Jinping to step down amid growing anger over severe Covid-19 restrictions. The S&P 500 fell 1.5 per cent, clawing back all of the benchmark index’s gains from last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished 1.4 per cent lower, while the Nasdaq composite slid 1.6 per cent. The world’s second largest economy has been stifled by a zero-Covid policy which... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3201330/wall-street-slips-coronavirus-lockdown-protests-spread-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3201330/wall-street-slips-coronavirus-lockdown-protests-spread-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Nov 2022 18:29:22 +0000 Dozens of protesters showed up in Hong Kong’s central business district on Monday night to mourn the victims of a fire in Xinjiang that sparked an outcry in mainland China against stringent zero-Covid policies. About 50 people, including some from the mainland, stood in silence at Theatre Lane, Central, at 7pm, some of them holding up blank sheets of paper to symbolise censorship. Others placed white bouquets of flowers and electric candles on the ground to commemorate the 10 who died and nine... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3201318/event-held-hong-kongs-central-mark-fire-mainland-china-killed-10-and-injured-9?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3201318/event-held-hong-kongs-central-mark-fire-mainland-china-killed-10-and-injured-9?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Nov 2022 14:55:00 +0000 Citizens in a handful of Chinese cities took to the streets in a rare show of defiance to protest against the country’s strict Covid-19 controls following the deaths of 10 people in a fire at an apartment block in Xinjiang last week. In Beijing several hundred people took to the streets in a protest that continued until after 3am on Monday. Other demonstrations took place in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu over the weekend, according to media reports and social media posts. Some... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201315/anger-chinese-covid-restrictions-boils-over-rare-protests-major-cities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201315/anger-chinese-covid-restrictions-boils-over-rare-protests-major-cities?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Nov 2022 14:47:05 +0000 Authorities in Beijing and Guangzhou have eased some zero-Covid measures and warned that essential exits must not be blocked, amid calls for an end to lockdowns following last week’s deadly fire in Urumqi. Health authorities in Beijing said high-risk areas should be defined by units and buildings. These areas could be expanded when transmission risks were unclear or transmission was widespread in the community but only after “rigorous assessment” . The remarks are in line with a push by China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201267/coronavirus-china-cities-ease-some-rules-ban-blocking-exits-amid-protests-and-surge-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201267/coronavirus-china-cities-ease-some-rules-ban-blocking-exits-amid-protests-and-surge-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Nov 2022 10:15:42 +0000