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The White House lambasted China’s government for imposing severe Covid lockdowns, which sparked countrywide demonstrations.
The White House statement backed up the demonstrations by Chinese people. It said that the government must protect citizens’ rights to peaceful protest. According to the US government, the Chinese government’s current plan is unsuccessful and unrealistic. Furthermore, it paved the path for rare protests in essential sections of the country.
“We’ve long said everyone has the right to protest peacefully, here in the United States and worldwide. This includes in the PRC,” said Biden’s National Security Council.
“We’ve said that zero COVID is not a policy we are pursuing here in the United States. And as we’ve said, it’s going to be very difficult for the People’s Republic of China to contain this virus through their zero COVID strategy,” it added.
The pandemic has been going on for three years. Wuhan had already implemented lockdowns during that time. As a result, implementing rigorous Covid lockdowns will burden companies and individuals. And this is happening when other nations’ lockdown measures have already been relaxed. According to the US government, the Chinese government must prioritize improving immunization rates and making treatment and testing more accessible.
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The White House thinks otherwise
The country’s strict Covid regulations contributed to a decreased rate of fatalities when compared to other nations like the United States. It did, however, compromise the Chinese economy. The stringent Covid lockdowns exacerbated the country’s economic problems. Individuals’ social life was also disturbed. According to a World Health Organization estimate, approximately 1 million individuals died from Covid in the United States. China, on the other hand, only recorded 30,000 deaths.
“If you look at the prevalence of vaccinations among the elderly, that it was almost counterproductive, the people you needed to protect were not getting protected, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease expert in the US.
“It seems that in China, it was just a very, very strict extraordinary lockdown where you lock people in the house but without any seeming endgame to it,” Fauci added.
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Demonstrations in the nation
When China announced another state of emergency, the people protested. Protests were held around the country in response to the decision. For example, people in Beijing, Urumqi, and Shanghai came to the streets to protest the ‘impractical’ attitude chosen by their national government. Meanwhile, the economy is suffering as investors are wary of the regular clashes between protesters and police. Protesters have now demanded that Xi quit.
“We need to be braver! Am I breaking the law by holding flowers? We Chinese need to be braver! So many of us were arrested yesterday. Are they without a job or a family? We should not be afraid,” a protester said.
“Every conscientious Chinese should be here. Of course, they don’t have to voice their opinions, but I hope they can stand with us,” said a man.
“We don’t want lockdowns, and we want freedom! Freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of arts, freedom of movement, and personal freedoms. Give me back my freedom,” crowds said in Guangzhou, a city in southern China.
