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China: Shanghai Hit By A Surge In Coronavirus Cases

By LokMarg 23rd December 2022

Shanghai, China’s megacity with a 25 million-strong population has been hit by a surge in coronavirus cases, reported NHK World.

Case numbers have been growing since last week in Shanghai, where staff shortages are causing delays in delivery services.
Shanghai has the largest Japanese population among cities in China. The city’s Japanese consulate-general said the virus is spreading among employees at Japanese and other businesses, reported NHK World.

This comes months after Shanghai endured a brutal lockdown to stop the spread of Covid. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of infected patients, pharmacies are turning customers away empty-handed, businesses are shutting because the staff is off sick, most schools have closed and usage of public transport is plummeting, the report claimed.

But officials at the mission said there have been no reports suggesting production lines or distribution have been severely affected by the surge. They say this is partly because there are no longer restrictions on people’s movements, reported NHK World.

A surge of coronavirus cases has been sweeping across China since the government eased its strict lockdowns and measures to contain the spread of the virus, on December 7.

Meanwhile, Chinese media outlets reported that infections are spreading among civil servants in several provinces, including Henan and Shandong. They said local authorities have closed their offices to the public and are calling on citizens to use online services instead, reported NHK World.

Officials of Chengdu in the inland province of Sichuan said at a news conference on Thursday they have set up 300 fever clinics across the city. They said up to 42,000 people are visiting the facilities every day.

People in China have also raised a fresh chorus for the resignation of Premier Xi Jinping over his failure to rein in the pandemic in the country.

The people have also demanded an end to the one-party rule of the Communist Party of China (CCP), with many raising slogans such as ‘Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!’ and ‘We don’t want lifelong rulers. We don’t want emperors’, as per an Insideover news report.

China’s sudden Covid surge also points towards a lack of effectiveness of its vaccines. This acts as a cause of concern, especially for countries to which China supplies its vaccines, reported Tibet Press.

According to a recent report by Voices Against Autocracy, Chinese citizens have been left to fend for themselves after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), amid widespread protests against the government’s ‘Zero-Covid’ policy, suddenly lifted its stringent Covid regulations.

Covid has been rapidly spreading in China. Unofficial reports claim that about 40 percent of Beijing’s residents are currently infected with Covid. The CCP, according to reports, has shifted its stance on Covid, claiming it to be a mere flu.

As cases rise in major Chinese cities, even people with mild symptoms are rushing to hospitals. Emergency call operators are receiving 30,000 calls a day, six times the average number of calls received.

According to Voices Against Autocracy, there are queues outside fever clinics in various cities. Drugs and medicines are in short supply and hospitals are under stress as doctors and nurses catch the virus. Doctors who have tested positive or are asymptomatic are also being asked to come to work, risking further transmission. (ANI)

Shanghai, China’s megacity with a 25 million-strong population has been hit by a surge in coronavirus cases, reported NHK World.

This comes months after Shanghai endured a brutal lockdown to stop the spread of Covid. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of infected patients, pharmacies are turning customers away empty-handed, businesses are shutting because staff is off sick, most schools have closed and usage of public transport is plummeting, the report claimed.

A surge of coronavirus cases has been sweeping across China since the government eased its strict lockdowns and measures to contain the spread of the virus, on December 7.

People in China have also raised a fresh chorus for the resignation of Premier Xi Jinping over his failure to rein in the pandemic in the country.

Golden Era Is Over: Sunak On Foreign Policy Approach To China

By LokMarg 29th November 2022

In his first major address on Foreign Policy, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday strongly asserted that the “golden era” between Britain and China is “now over” and that it is time to evolve the approach towards China as the country is posing a systemic challenge to UK’s values and interest with its authoritarian rule.

During his address at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet at London’s Guildhall, Sunak also criticised the human rights abuses taking place in China while putting forward his stance on foreign policy.
“Let’s be clear, the so-called ‘golden era’ is over, along with the naive idea that trade would lead to social and political reform. We recognise China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests, a challenge that grows more acute as it moves towards even greater authoritarianism,” the UK Prime Minister said in his address.

Speaking further he said, “We are taking a long-term view on China strengthening our resilience and protecting our economic security,” and added that the UK cannot simply ignore China’s global significance.

The UK Prime Minister also expressed concern over the ongoing protests in China against COVID lockdowns and said that instead of listening to people’s concerns, the Chinese government “has chosen to crack down further” as he highlighted the recent arrest and manhandling of BBC reporters in China.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Shanghai, where people were being bundled into police cars. Students have also demonstrated at universities in Beijing and Nanjing.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered in downtown Shanghai on Sunday afternoon to hold what appeared to be a silent protest near where a demonstration against China’s zero-Covid policy erupted in the early hours.

Demonstrators holding blank pieces of paper and white flowers stood silently at several intersections, the person said under condition of anonymity, before police officers eventually moved to clear the blocked roads.

Sunak was supposed to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia earlier this month however the meeting was called off after NATO members gathered for an emergency meeting following a missile strike in a Polish village near the Ukrainian border.

The Prime Minister listed measures the UK government has taken, including new authority granted under the National Security and Investment Act, to prevent China from restricting its influence in the UK.

Reiterating Britain’s stand on Indo-Pacific, Sunak said the Indo-Pacific will deliver over half of global growth by 2050 compared with just a quarter from Europe and North America combined, which is why Britain joined the Trans-Pacific trade deal, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), delivering a new FTA with India and pursuing one with Indonesia.

India and the United Kingdom have a multi-dimensional strategic partnership and actively engage in bilateral trade. The two countries agreed to begin formal negotiations for an FTA in January 2022, aiming to advance trade and investment relations between them.

On Ukraine, Sunak said, “We stand by Ukraine and are also reinvigorating our European relationships to tackle challenges like security and tackling migration.”

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made his maiden visit to Kyiv after assuming office, the previous week and assured Britain’s continued support to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Taking to Twitter, the British Prime Minister wrote, “Britain knows what it means to fight for freedom. We are with you all the way @ZelenskyyUa,” as Sunak expressed support for Ukraine.

Earlier in August, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote a letter on Ukraine’s Independence Day, praising the country’s steadfast courage in standing up to Russian “aggression” and promising support from the people of the United Kingdom.

Sunak promised to continue assisting Ukraine’s valiant warriors and declared that Britain will continue to offer humanitarian aid to make sure Ukrainian people have access to food and medicine amid the ongoing war.

He said the UK’s “adversaries and competitors plan for the long-term” as he mentioned Russia and China and said the UK will “make an evolutionary leap in our approach”. (ANI)

Covid In China: Protests Erupt In Jinping’s Alma Mater Tsinghua Univ

By LokMarg 27th November 2022

In defiance of China’s zero-Covid policy, hundreds of students on Sunday protested at President Xi Jinping’s alma mater, Tsinghua University here.

“Protests have spread to Xi Jinping’s alma mater Tsinghua, where a student said: If we don’t speak up due to the fear of the [dark regime], I think our people will be disappointed. As a Tsinghua student, I’d regret this for the rest of my life. The crowd called out don’t be scared!” tweeted Linda Lew, a Bloomberg reporter.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Shanghai, where people were being bundled into police cars. Students have also demonstrated at universities in Beijing and Nanjing.

Hundreds of students from Beijing’s Tsinghua University rallied at their campus on Sunday.

“Tsinghua university right now the city after city seeing protests small and large against Zero Covid policies and against excesses of Communist Party rule – every hour there seems to be a new one,” tweeted Emily Feng, she posted a clip from Weibo, a China microblogging website.

Protests in China against heavy COVID-19 curbs spread to Shanghai on Sunday, with demonstrators also gathering at one of Beijing’s most prestigious universities after a deadly fire in the country’s far west sparked widespread anger, reported Reuters.

The latest unrest follows a protest in the remote north-west city of Urumqi, where lockdown rules were blamed after 10 people died in a tower block fire.

China is battling a surge in infections that has prompted lockdowns and other restrictions in cities across the country as Beijing adheres to a zero-Covid-19 policy even as much of the world tries to coexist with the coronavirus.

A fire on Thursday that killed 10 people in a high-rise building in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang region, has sparked widespread public anger. Many Internet users surmised that residents could not escape in time because the building was partially locked down, which city officials denied.

In Shanghai, China’s most populous city and financial hub, residents gathered on Saturday night at the city’s Wulumuqi Road – which borrows its name from Urumqi – for a vigil that turned into a protest in the early hours of Sunday.

“Lift lockdown for Urumqi, lift lockdown for Xinjiang, lift lockdown for all of China!” the crowds in Shanghai shouted, according to a video circulated on social media.

At one point a large group began shouting, “Down with the Chinese Communist Party, down with Xi Jinping, free Urumqi!”, according to witnesses and videos, in a rare public protest against the Chinese leadership.

China defends President Xi Jinping’s signature zero-Covid-19 policy as life-saving and necessary to prevent overwhelming the healthcare system.

Officials have vowed to continue with it despite the growing public pushback and its mounting toll on the world’s second-biggest economy.

Videos from Shanghai widely shared on Chinese social media showed crowds facing dozens of police and calling out chants including: “Serve the people”, “We don’t want health codes” and “We want freedom,” reported The Straits Times.

Some social media users posted screenshots of street signs for Wulumuqi Road, both to evade censors and show support for protesters in Shanghai. Others shared comments or posts calling for all of “you brave young people” to be careful. Many included advice on what to do if police came or started arresting people during a protest or vigil.

Shanghai’s 25 million people were put under lockdown for two months earlier this year, an ordeal that provoked anger and protest.

Chinese authorities have since then sought to be more targeted in their Covid-19 curbs.

But that effort has been challenged by a surge in infections as China faces its first winter with the highly transmissible Omicron variant. (ANI)

Protesters Chant Step Down CCP In Shanghai Against China’s Zero-Covid Policy

By LokMarg 27th November 2022

Protests erupted in China’s Shanghai on Saturday night against Beijing’s strict COVID-19 policy. Several videos have emerged on social media which showcased people chanting slogans against restrictions imposed by the Chinese government to curb the spread of Covid.

The protests erupted after 10 people died and nine others were injured in an apartment fire in Urumqi. Saturday saw protests erupt in Shanghai with people calling to relax COVID-19 curbs across the country. Expressing anger over the stringent Covid policy, Chinese citizens took to the streets in large numbers.
According to a video posted by DW News East Asia Correspondent William Yang on Twitter, people at ‘Urumqi Road’ held a protest against Xi Jinping-led Chinese Communist Party (CCP), chanting slogans like “Step down the Communist Party” and ” the Communist Party, Step down. Xi Jinping, step down.”

In a series of tweets regarding the protests in Shanghai, William Yang said that countless people gathered on Urumqi Road and chanted slogans, “I don’t want PCR test, I want freedom.” In another tweet, William Yang said, people in ‘Urumqi Road’ also called for ending the lockdown in Xinjiang.

“Citizens chanting #Xinjiang, end lockdown, #Xinjiang, end lockdown,” Yang wrote on Twitter.

Continuing the thread, he said that a scuffle broke out between people and police at the site of a protest in Shanghai. In a tweet, William Yang said, “Police surrounded the last few dozens of protesters at the scene in Shanghai and some women were reportedly taken away.”

“Incredible footage from #China’s #Shanghai, where countless people gathered at a road called “#Urumqi road,” chanting the slogan “Step down, the Communist Party” very loudly,” William Yang wrote on Twitter. Notably, the Chinese government has been adhering to strict COVID-19 policy in order to curb the spread of the virus ever since the pandemic emerged in China. The restrictions imposed by the Chinese government include strict lockdowns, travel restrictions, and mass testing.

Meanwhile, Joyce Karam, senior US correspondent at The National, also posted a video on her Twitter handle in which people were seen protesting against COVID-19 restrictions in Wulumuqi Road. “Rare protests erupt in #China’s largest city over Covid restrictions & gov. rules. “We want freedom” the crowd chants in this video from Wulumuqi road tonight,” Karam tweeted.

While sharing the protest video on Twitter, Axial Vibe Studio Co-founder Vivian Wu wrote, “Scale of the protest tonight in Shanghai. Notice police didn’t do anything but stand calmly watching ppl protest and shout. It’s not benevolence. My guess: they need to ask for directives from the top authorities. Police might be stunned as nobody dares to do so for decades.”

Earlier on Friday, a fire in a residential high-rise in Urumqi, where many residents have been placed under lockdown, set off public anger and questions about China’s zero-Covid policy. Chang Che, a freelance writer covering Chinese technology and society and Amy Chang Chien covering news in mainland China and Taiwan, writing in The New York Post (NYT) said that the protest erupted after the fire killed 10 persons in the region, with residents calling for the lifting of lockdowns.

Chinese commenters on social media shared reports and footage of the blaze that killed 10 people and injured nine in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital, demanding to know if Covid restrictions had hampered the rescue or prevented residents from escaping their apartments or the building. Late Friday, videos circulated widely on the Chinese internet showing throngs of residents in Urumqi marching to a government building and chanting “end lockdowns.” (ANI)