Surviving in the World: The Chinese COVID rebellion.
Welcome back to Surviving in the World (SIW), your newsletter written by students for those interested in global affairs. We always try to present select topics in global news in an easy-to-understand format.
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Today’s letter covers the Chinese protests against Xi Jinping's strict Zero-COVID policy.
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Brought to you by: Keonhee Ahn(’25), Editor-In-Chief.
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Word Count: 392/ Time: 3 minute read.
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Violent protests occur across China against Xi Jinping’s strict Zero-COVID policy
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Protest at London's Piccadilly Circus against mandatory hijab in Iran. (Source: Garry Knight)
What happened?: An estimated 27 to 43 protests in 22 cities across China recently took place in response to the ongoing Zero-COVID policy.
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Since March 27th, COVID cases in Shanghai have reached record highs due to the Omicron variant.
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To continue their “Zero-COVID policy,” the Chinese government declared a strict lockdown in the city, banning most residents from leaving their homes.
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The Chinese government trusted that the policy would completely eradicate COVID-19.
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Contrary to expectations, COVID cases remained high, and the citizens continued to suffer as they lost income and experienced separation from their families.
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The citizens’ outrage: The continuously escalating demonstrations were described as one of the biggest acts of public resistance against the Chinese government since the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
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Such magnitude of the protests was especially unprecedented, considering that Chinese society revolves around a communist-party-led state, where societal liberty, such as the freedom of speech and assembly, is heavily restricted.
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Initially, protests were often peaceful: protestors used a creative way of holding up blank sheets of paper as a symbol of defiance against the highly oppressive Chinese government.
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However, as the media progressively revealed the police forces and the government’s violent retaliations against the Chinese government, the Chinese citizens lost their temper.
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According to Beijing residents, the Chinese government repetitively violated the privacy and rights of their citizens.
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Demonstrators have held up sheets of white paper as a way to protest against censorship (source: Reuters)
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Violations included:
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Unprecedented visits to residencies to collect complete written records.
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Forced police custody for minor retaliation acts such as posting a video of protests on social media.
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Hence, protests gained magnitude and intensity as more Chinese citizens realized that Zero-COVID is not only ineffective but detrimental to their liberty.
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On social media pages, protestors were seen throwing objects at police forces wearing all-white pandemic gear and protection shields.
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In response, the police officers implemented a strategic defense line for the protestors as the demonstrations continued to grow.
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Regardless, buildings in China remain in lockdown, and it is only a matter of time before the demonstrations slowly lose power as government retaliation intensifies.
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Even the national health officials of China propose that China should provide alternative solutions to COVID, presenting more flexible and realistic approaches to end the pandemic.
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The government continues to silence these voices of rationality, and the demonstrations remain under tight control.
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Currently, several Chinese citizens are advocating for the ousting of Xi Jinping from power, protesting, “Xi Jinping, step down!”
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The lesson: Communist-party-led governments can easily mandate policies without any citizen intervention, oppressing any voices of objection.
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In reality, however, a rational decision can only beformed considering various beliefs and perspectives.
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The Zero-COVID policy is a key example that failed to do so.
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To truly recover from the pandemic, the Chinese government should make efforts to comprehend the protests’ objectives rather than simply retaliating with military and police forces.
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