On video: Protest against the corona restrictions in Shanghai, China (Reuters)
Demonstrations broke out today (Sunday) throughout China, mainly in cities and on university campuses, in protest of the Corona restrictions that have been in place in the country for nearly three years.
The demonstrators also claim that as a result of the closure several Chinese were recently killed in a fire that broke out in a residential building.
Protests in Shanghai erupted after 10 people were killed and nine others injured in a fire that broke out in the city of Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, over the weekend.
Many in China believe that the victims were unable to escape from the building because of the Corona restrictions, and that the emergency services were delayed on their way due to the restrictions.
Should President Xi Jinping start to fear?
"First of all, there is no danger to Xi's rule. This is not the first time that a protest has broken out due to the corona virus in China," said Dr. Uri Sela, from the Department of East Asian Studies at Tel Aviv University, to Walla! Contrary to popular opinion, "Protests in China are not a rare thing .
There are quite a few demonstrations and protests in the country, and there have also been demonstrations against Corona restrictions in recent years," he added.
"This time the reason for the great anger was the expectation that the restrictions of the corona virus would be eased. The administration even recently published new instructions regarding the relaxations. However, in light of the sharp increase in the number of corona cases in recent days, the result was the opposite: a strict lockdown was immediately imposed in various areas of China and the expectations of the people were disappointed," added Sela .
Ceremonies in memory of those killed in the fire (Photo: Reuters)
Last week, China recorded the highest daily number of corona cases since the beginning of the epidemic, despite the government's tough policies aimed at eliminating the virus.
Several major cities, including the capital Beijing and the financial and commercial center Guangzhou, are now experiencing a significant outbreak.
Last week, 31,527 corona cases were registered in China, compared to a record of 28,000 cases in April.
The "zero corona" policy adopted by President Xi Jinping is undoubtedly responsible for saving lives, but it also represents a severe blow to the economy and the daily life of citizens.
Therefore, when China began to slightly ease the restrictions a few weeks ago and avoided imposing blanket closures of the type imposed on Shanghai earlier this year, the sudden change last weekend in light of the sharp increase in infections was met with great outrage among the public.
Demonstrations in memory of the victims of the fire (Photo: Reuters)
According to Sela, the expectation of an easing of Xi's policies grew mainly after the gathering of the National Congress in October, where the tyrannical president won a historic third term.
In his speech to Congress, Shay reiterated his commitment to a "zero corona" policy.
He described the past five years as "extremely extraordinary," and said that the party led China and its citizens in "a complex and bleak international situation in the face of enormous risks and challenges that came one after another," including the corona epidemic, which, according to Xi, China ultimately defeated This is thanks to his tough policies.
However, Sela said, "At the National Congress, China did say that it was continuing the 'zero corona' policy, but immediately after the end of the Congress, the central government began to publish new and easier guidelines. However, the implementation of the reliefs only began about two weeks ago. That is, there was a gap a certain difference between what the central government said and the implementation of its instructions in practice."
According to Sela, "This is one of the main reasons for anger in the public. The feeling that freedom is near but the hoped-for reliefs are not implemented has caused enormous frustration."
China: President Xi Jinping continues for third term (Reuters)
The National Congress (Photo: Reuters)
According to Sela, as far as Xi is concerned, a protest at this stage is something that does not correspond to his interests.
"Before the Congress, when Xi had to establish his power in preparation for the approval of his third term, he was comfortable that China was under lockdown and the public was under total control. However, today the situation is different. The economy is the first priority."
China's economy grew by only 3% in the first three quarters of the year, a rate significantly lower than the annual target of 5%.
The country also faces other challenges, such as an aging population, high debt levels and pressures from the United States in the field of technology, as well as a weakening of demand for Chinese exports and a cooling of the housing market.
Therefore, Xi recently tried to implement some measures that would improve the internal economic situation.
"China announced on Friday that it will lower the amount that banks need to hold in reserves for the second time this year, releasing 500 billion yuan ($70 billion) into the markets. China's central bank has also not raised interest rates in three months. The government has invested more in infrastructure and the flow of financial aid to consumers," Sela said.
"Xi does not want corona and does not want contagion now due to the enormous economic consequences of the 'zero corona policy'.
Watching Xi's speech at the National Congress (Photo: GettyImages)
Sela believes that what will be seen in the near future in China is that the provinces of the local government will begin to obey the instructions of the central government more closely, and local officials will surely pay at their place of work, because they did not carry out the instructions of the central government.
"However," Sela added, "since the 'zero corona' policy is such a central and important aspect of Xi's policy today, even he cannot ignore it, so we will probably continue to see strict closures for a short time and an attempt to formulate a new and easier policy first more, and only then for publication in the public, to show that these were not the protests that led to its formation," he explained.
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