In support of China’s protesters

China’s Covid management was supposed to be Xi Jinping’s demonstration of the superiority of China’s authoritarian system over democracies. It was supposed to signal the rise of a China-led world order, no less. In 2020 and 2021, while America, Europe, India and the world struggled to deal with the pandemic as millions of their citizens died, China projected itself as having been fully in control of the situation. There were no reports of mass infections or deaths in China. It had locked down entire cities and provinces, starting with Wuhan, where the Covid virus originated. The world looked on in wonder as China showcased hospitals built in a matter of days, large quarantine centres readied within hours, and food and other essentials being supplied to the millions locked up in their homes – another Chinese miracle, the enviable efficiency of authoritarian regimes! The US acknowledged a million deaths and 100 million infections and India reported nearly 45 million infections and 530,000 deaths. In Xi’s China, apparently there were only 3 million infections and 5,200 deaths.

The mass protests that have been spreading across China since last week have given the lie to all that. Beijing and local governments have tried everything from shutting down entire cities to mass phone surveillance to mass killing of animals, to daily mass testing to and shutting down economic activity for months on end. And yet, infections are spreading – more than 30,000 daily infections have been reported for several days. The Chinese healthcare system cannot handle the disease burden, and hence the harsh lockdowns. The Chinese people have endured this for nearly three years. How much longer must they put up with it?

That China is now the only major country to be in lockdown mode also suggests that its vaccines and vaccination programme have failed. Xi has refused to accept foreign-made vaccines for his people, a case of misplaced nationalism and false personal prestige typical of authoritarian leaders. Following last week’s widespread protests, authorities have started to relax Covid restrictions. But Xi’s recently handpicked top security leader has vowed to conduct a severe crackdown on protesters. While the ‘White Paper’ protests have been suppressed for now, the regime seems to be preparing for a massive crackdown. There is widespread fear that Xi will not hesitate to repeat a Tiananmen-like crackdown on protesters. The international community must make it clear to Xi that any mass crackdown will result in his regime being isolated and treated as rogue. The Chinese people, like people elsewhere, have the right to protest against their government and to demand course correction and reforms. It is the Chinese State that must bend to their will and retreat, not the other way around.