The Chinese communist regime has signaled that it will not abandon its draconian COVID policies despite mass protests in at least 10 cities across China over the weekend.
Zou Xiaoli, the Chinese regime’s ambassador to Argentina, told reporters on Nov. 28 that China will persist in its dynamic zero-COVID policy when asked about recent protests, according to Argentina’s national news agency Télam.
The comments came as officials from around the world expressed support for the protesters in China.
The ambassador did not refer to the protests directly when answering the question, but he touted China’s strategy to combat the spread of COVID-19, saying that taking care of the people has been one of the priorities.
Zou’s comment provides a glimpse into the thinking of the Chinese regime, as China’s state-run media as of Nov. 28 have gone silent on the weekend’s protests, which marked the largest display of civil disobedience Party leaders in Beijing have seen in decades.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian briefly responded when asked about the protests during a daily briefing on Monday, saying that “what you mentioned does not reflect what actually happened” before arguing that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will lead a “successful” fight against COVID-19.
However, as of the time of writing, his comments have not been included in the briefing’s published transcript on the ministry’s public website.
Protesters hold up pieces of paper against censorship and China's strict zero COVID measures in Beijing on Nov. 27, 2022. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
The protests were ignited after a horrific fire in a high-rise apartment building killed an officially reported number of 10 people in Urumqi, the capital of China’s far-western Xinjiang region, on Nov. 25. Local COVID-19 restrictions prevented residents from escaping the fire and delayed first responders from reaching the scene.
Anger over how their deaths could have been prevented—combined with mounting public frustration over the communist regime’s repeated testing and prolonged lockdowns under the zero-COVID policy—led to the protests.
Protesters used the rallies to call for greater freedoms, while some even demanded that Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the CCP step down.
Xi, who has secured an unprecedented third term as CCP leader, signaled last month during a Party congress that there would be no immediate easing of his zero-COVID policy, claiming that Party officials have “protected the people’s health and safety” in their efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Solidarity
Officials in the United States and elsewhere have expressed their solidarity with the protesters in China.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international cross-party group of legislators, said in a statement on Nov. 27 that its members “stand united in solidarity with those who have been engaged in peaceful protest” following the fire in Xinjiang.
“The Chinese Communist Party has a long history of suppressing protest and ruthlessly punishing dissent,” the group wrote. “We are watching the response of the Chinese authorities to these courageous protesters very closely, and we will press our governments to do everything possible to safeguard their fundamental freedoms.”
On Nov. 28, police in Shanghai and Beijing stopped and searched people at the sites where protests had previously taken place, a sign that the communist regime will take harsh measures to quell any more demonstrations.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) speak about the Congressional-Executive Commission on China during a news conference to discuss the commission's annual report on human rights conditions and the rule of law in China, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 10, 2018. Mark Wilson/Getty Images
The U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), which is headed by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), is calling on Beijing to listen to the protesters.
“The people of China have the fundamental rights under international law to freedom of expression and of assembly. The Chinese government is obligated to respect them,” the commission wrote on Twitter on Nov., 28. “The protestors in China are sending very important messages. The Chinese government should listen.”
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, during a press briefing on Monday, said “The White House supports the right of peaceful protest” but stopped short of directly expressing support for protesters’ demand for greater freedoms in China.
Earlier in the day, a National Security Council official lightly criticized the regime’s pandemic handling policy, saying that “We think it’s going to be very difficult for the People’s Republic of China to be able to contain this virus through their zero-COVID strategy.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), ranking Republicans on the CECC, issued a joint statement on Monday criticizing the Biden administration.
“The CCP’s ‘zero-Covid’ policy is outrageous,” the lawmakers wrote. “The Biden Administration’s weak rejection of the CCP’s zero-Covid policy and refusal to call out General Secretary Xi’s totalitarian grip is nothing short of cowardly.”
“These protests are not about a public health crisis, but a human rights crisis,” they added. “The United States must be unwavering in our support for the Chinese people as they bravely call for freedom.”
Frank Fang
journalist
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
