Chinese vignettes | Beijing censors Xi’s friend Tedros after he calls China’s Zero-Covid not ‘sustainable’

More than Covid-19, the woes around China’s zero-Covid policy continues to make news in the country. Chinese leadership is trying everything it can to keep a positive narrative of its draconian policy, amid WHO Chief calling it ‘unsustainable’ and reports of President Xi Jinping suffering from a cerebral aneurysm. This week, in Chinese Vignettes, we’ll cover China’s intensifying lockdown and other top stories making news in the country.

CHINA OVER THE WEEK

Intensifying lockdown in China

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For weeks now, residents in more than 40 cities and provinces continue to be under lockdown. And this lockdown is only intensifying. While the Chinese leadership continues to deny claims of a lockdown in Beijing, the residents rush to buy food over lockdown fears.

“It is unnecessary to hoard food… residents don’t need to worry, the city’s operations won’t be affected,” said Xu Hejian, a spokesperson for the Beijing municipal government at a press briefing on Thursday.

Even pictures off empty streets portray the contrary narrative.

According to a Bloomberg report, virtual fences have cut off cab access to Covid-hit districts. This is after reports of city’s parks, gyms and movie theaters being shut to halt the spread of the virus. Beijing’s eastern Chaoyang district, home to embassies and multinationals, instructed companies “providing services other than supporting residents’ livelihoods” to be shut until further notice, and new rounds of mass testing were ordered in the capital city.

The South China Morning Post reported that some residents have endured more than 20 days of lockdown Beijing’s most populous district of Chaoyang.

Meanwhile, China’s financial hub Shanghai, earlier this week, reportedly once again tightened its Covid-19 restrictions. The Wall Street Journal reported a new lockdown rule, “if one person tests positive, the whole building isolates.”

Shanghai officials also announced that it aims to bring the outbreak under control by May 20 achieving its “societal zero-Covid.” From May 16, the deputy mayor of Shanghai announced that the city would begin to re-open convenience stores and pharmacies, gradually reducing other restrictions in days to come and the return to ‘more normal’ life from June 1.

China slams WHO Chief Dr. Tedros

On Tuesday, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) called China’s zero-Covid policy ‘not sustainable.’

“We don’t think that it is sustainable considering the behavior of the virus and whatwe now anticipate in the future,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

“We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts. And we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable … I think a shift would be very important,”he added.

Censors quickly scrubbed these comments off the Chinese internet, removing Weibo post on the United Nations account, reported the South China Morning Post.

Following which any search for the post was deemed to be illegal.

The Chinese government didn’t take Dr. Tedros’ criticism well, and hit out at WHO chief, calling his remarks “irresponsible.”

“We hope the relevant individual will make objective and reasonable views of China’s epidemic protocol and policy and try to get a better understanding of the facts and refrain from making irresponsible remarks,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing in Beijing.

Hu Xijing, former editor-in-chief of Global Times, a Chinese government mouthpiece, wrote on his Weibo account that the WHO chief was jeopardising China’s fight against Covid.

“The WHO should consider what impact it has on China when they comment on China now. They should not jeopardise China’s effort to fight the pandemic from outside.” he wrote.

The same day, a study byFudan University in Shanghai and Indiana University in the United States, and the US medical research agency National Institutes of Healthsaid China could see more than 1.5 million deaths without Covid-19 controls.

‘Such an outbreak is projected to cause 112 million symptomatic cases, or 80 cases per 1,000 people, with 2.7 million of them requiring treatment in intensive care,’ reported the South China Morning Post.

Hong Kong cardinal Joseph Zen arrested under security law

This week, the news of90-year-old cardinalJoseph Zen’s arrest sent shockwaves the community. Hong Kong’s veteran Catholic church leader along with 3 others was detained by the police on Wednesday for allegedly colluding with foreign forces.

Zen, Former opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng, singer Denise Ho andacademic Hui Po-keung were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which was set up in 2019 to provide assistance to those involved in anti-government protests.

Joseph Zen, a retired bishop has been a long-time advocate for Hong Kong’s democracy movement and religious freedom in mainland China.

CHINA IN WORLD REPORTAGE

Is President Xi suffering from a cerebral aneurysm?

Reports of Chinese President Xi Jinping suffering from a cerebral aneurysm resurfaced this week. The media reports said that due to this medical problem, he had to be hospitalized at the end of 2021, and Xi preferred to be treated with traditional Chinese medicines rather than undergoing a surgery.

The reports when on to outline various incidents to back their claim. According to the reports, he had a noticeable limp in his gait during his visit to Italy in March 2019. In Shenzhen in October 2020, his delayed appearance, slow speech and coughing spree during an address to the public. And especially the fact that he avoided meeting foreign leaders since the outbreak of Covid-19 till the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in February.

CHINESE SURVEILLANCE SHIP SPOTTED OFF THE COAST OF AUSTRALIA

This week, according to the Australian government, a Chinese surveillance ship was spotted off the coast of Australia. The Department of Defence alleged that theDongdiao Class Auxiliary Intelligence ship named Haiwangxingwas currently headed east along the country’s north-west coast.

Australia’s Defence Minister Peter Dutton said on Friday that the ship had been tracking the western coastline for the past week.

“Its intent, of course, is to collect intelligence right along the coastline. It has been in close proximity to military and intelligence installations on the west coast of Australia,” Dutton was quoted as saying by the ABC.

“I think people understand the difficulty, the reality, of the Indo-Pacific at the moment, the acts of aggression from the Chinese leadership and from the Chinese government,”he added.

He further went on to point out that other Chinese vessels had been located off Australian waters in the past year during military exercises.

Dutton’s statement comes a week before the country is set to hold its federal elections.

Countering these allegations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that his country“always abides by international law and international practice.”

When asked about Dutton’s comments he said, “The relevant Australian politician should look at the situation in an objective manner instead of making sensational remarks.”