Why are people in China protesting?
Protests are going on in China regarding the country's zero-Covid policy. As the number of protesters in major cities grew, some began to call for the removal of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Citizens have asked for Jinping's removal because mass testing, forced lockdowns, and quarantine has been harming citizens' lives for nearly three years.
Protests began after at least ten people were killed and nine others were injured in a deadly fire in an apartment in Urumqi, in China's Xinjiang region. The public started showing anger after videos showed that lockdown measures delayed firefighters from reaching the victims in time.
Residents demanded that the lockdown be lifted and soon the protests quickly spread throughout China.
So, what is China’s zero Covid policy?
China has one of the world's toughest policies against Covid. Even if only a few Covid cases are discovered, lockdowns must be imposed. Patients with Covid are quarantined in government facilities or at home.
Everything is closed except emergency services (medicine shops, shops selling foods, etc.). The policy aims to keep the number of cases as low as possible.
People's earnings have been affected by all of the lockdowns. The unemployment rate in the country is also rising. All of this has caused the citizens to protest.
What is the significance of the protests?
While there are protests in China, they are mostly against local officials. This one, however, targets the entire Chinese government.
After nearly three years of economic hardship and disruption to daily life, the Chinese public has had enough of China's zero Covid policy. So, the protests are going on.
How has the government responded to the protests?
While protests in many parts of China were handled peacefully, authorities in some cities reacted more forcefully. Protesters fought with police in some areas. In videos and photos, police can be seen pushing, dragging, and beating protesters.
The Chinese government's spokesperson did not comment on the ongoing protests. We hope that this issue in China gets resolved soon and peacefully.
