China protests mount over zero-covid policy
BEIJING: A blank sheet of white paper has become the unlikely symbol of defiance against the Chinese government’s controversial anti-covid curbs with protests spreading to cities far and wide including to capital Beijing and the financial hub of Shanghai.
The unprecedented outpouring of anger was partly sparked by a deadly fire that claimed the lives of at least 10 people allegedly locked up in a Covid-controlled high-rise in northwest China’s Urumqi city on Thursday.
Sporadic protests on local issues are not uncommon in China but demonstrations reported from various parts of the country, focussed on one issue are exceptionally rare.
Since Friday people have held protests across China, an indication of simmering anger against excessive lockdown measures against Covid-19 outbreaks.
Widespread protests against the “zero Covid” policy were also reported from university campuses across China, most notably from Beijing’s elite Tsinghua university and the city of Nanjing’s Communication university.