Rare protests against Xi before party meet

Beijing, October 13

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A rare protest against Chinese President Xi Jinping and his government’s rigid zero-Covid policy took place in Beijing, days before he is expected to be handed an unprecedented third term in office at a landmark meeting of the ruling Communist Party.

Curbs on travel

• In almost all cities, especially in Beijing, people have to undergo testing for Covid on alternate days
• Without a test, they cannot enter public buildings, restaurants, transport services or even taxis
• Under the zero-Covid policy, travel and transportation services within China and its connectivity to the world are hit hard

Photos circulating on social media on Thursday showed two banners hung on an overpass of a major thoroughfare in the northwest of the Chinese capital, protesting against Xi’s unpopular zero-Covid policy and authoritarian rule.

Unfazed by the rare protests, China on Thursday ruled out a rollback of the zero-Covid policy, saying no timeline can be fixed over the restrictions to fight the deadly pandemic, amid growing frustration over the damage it is inflicting on jobs, businesses, economy and public life.

China has no timeline for an exit from its Covid strategy, a senior government adviser heading an expert panel bluntly said.

Banners displayed on a bridge in the district of Haidian, home to universities and tech firms in Beijing, read “Food, not Covid test”; “Reform, not a Cultural Revolution”; “Freedom, not lockdowns”; and “Votes, not a leader. Dignity, not lies. Citizens, not slaves”.

Big productive cities such as Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian and several top ones and two-tier cities suffered or continue to suffer periodic prolonged lockdowns severely disrupting people’s lives.

Under the zero-Covid policy, travel and transportation services within China and its connectivity to the world are hit hard. So much so that most of China’s massive infrastructure including its once most busy airports is currently wearing a deserted look.