Covid Zero: Xi Jinping: China must stick to ‘Covid Zero’ even as costs rise – Times of India

Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping He says his government will stick to its zero-tolerance approach to COVID, even as public anger in Shanghai subsides and the economic cost mounts.
“Prevention and containment work cannot be relaxed,” the official Xinhua news agency reported late Wednesday, Xi said during a visit to the island province of Hainan, the same day the financial center saw a record 27,719 new cases.
enforcement officer covid zero Xi said, there is a need to adhere to the principle of ‘people first and life first’. “Perseverance is victory,” he said.
Xi – who is seeking a third five-year term during the Communist Party’s Congress later this year – is facing one of the biggest tests of his term. The lockdown of millions in the city of Shanghai and the northeastern province of Jilin has drawn widespread criticism of his government’s response to the highly contagious Omicron version.
Residents lacking groceries, medical care and patience are showing a rare display of pushback as they have been barred from leaving their homes. While there have been signs of some easing, such as allowing Shanghai, Guangzhou and six other cities to cut quarantine times for some people, senior officials have also publicly argued that China should stick to its tough approach. should remain.
That strategy has included mass testing, lengthy quarantines and mostly closed borders. In addition to the social cost, the economic damage has been equally substantial, forcing factories to close and supply chains to shut down.
Chieftain li keqiang has repeatedly warned of risks to economic growth, and expects the central bank to cut its key policy interest rate for the second time on Friday this year and reserve requirement within days to help shore up the economy. will reduce the ratio.
Covid Zero has also added to tensions with the US, which this week ordered all non-emergency staff at its consulate in Shanghai to leave the Asian nation, prompting a spokesman for the country’s foreign ministry to call Washington an “attack and attack” on China. Accused of smearing”. ,