Suppressing the protests would call into question the main argument of China’s corona policy, thinks international politics professor Yelle.
China has followed exceptionally strict measures to prevent corona infections for almost three years now. The chosen policy has meant, among other things, lockdowns in cities with millions and continuous corona testing.
However, in recent days China has seen protests criticizing the Communist Party and even calling for the country’s leader Xi Jingping break up. There have also been demonstrations in the capital Beijing on Sunday.
Professor of International Politics Juha Vuori The University of Tampere states that protests criticizing China’s top leadership are exceptional, although in China demonstrations are organized at the local level even on a daily basis.
– This is where the dissatisfaction with the very strict lockdown policy that has been chosen in China, which has been felt for a long time, erupts, Vuori tells .
Vuori estimates that a change in corona policy was expected in China when the Communist Party gathered for a party meeting at the end of October. It was the other way around.
Xi consolidated his power when he was elected at the meeting for a historic third term as party leader.
– In a way, Xi has painted himself into a corner, because in the Chinese system the leader is infallible, Vuori estimates.
In the early stages of the corona pandemic, China’s strict corona policy worked well. John Hopkins University in the United States (you will switch to another service) according to the data collected, just under 16,000 people have died in China from the disease caused by the coronavirus. More than 3.5 million cases of the disease have been recorded in the country of 1.4 billion inhabitants.
At the moment, however, the country is plagued by, for example, low vaccination coverage, which especially affects those who belong to risk groups due to their age.
For example, China has not approved the use of vaccines by the United States, Vuori reminds.
The corona measures have also darkened China’s economic prospects.
According to Vuori, it is now important to pay attention to how China’s top management reacts to the protests, because the corona policy is justified by the fact that China puts people and their lives first.
– If we start to suppress people here as well, then perhaps the main argument why this corona policy has been chosen will also be called into question, Vuori states.