China vows ‘crackdown’ on ‘hostile forces’ amid protests
Reports say China is mulling a roll-out of the fourth Covid shot as protests over strict virus strategy spread, US says its citizens have a right to protest
BEIJING: China’s ruling party on Tuesday said it will “resolutely crackdown” on “hostile” forces, days after large-scale street agitations were held by citizens in several cities against strict Covid-19 curbs.
The central political and legal affairs commission, the top law enforcement body of the Communist Party of China, issued a statement late on Tuesday night, saying said the government should “resolutely crack down on infiltration and sabotage activities by hostile forces and illegal and criminal acts that disrupt social order”.
The statement, issued at a meeting led by security czar Chen Wenqing, did not make any reference to the protests.
“Illegal and criminal acts won’t be tolerated,” it added.
“It also asked the political and legal organs to be clear about potential dangers and strengthen fighting spirit, speed up the building of a safer China and a China under the rule of law at a higher level,” a Global Times report said.
The crackdown was announced even as the government relaxed some virus-control rules amid reports of fresh clashes between protesters and security personnel in the southern city of Guangzhou.
Protests in Guangzhou
People in the Chinese city of Guangzhou clashed with riot police in hazmat suits on Tuesday night as authorities investigated more of those who have taken part in a string of protests against the world’s toughest Covid-19 restrictions.
In one video of those clashes posted on Twitter, dozens of riot police clad in white protective suits and holding shields over their heads, advanced in formation over what appeared to be torn down lockdown barriers as objects flew at them. Police were later seen escorting away a row of people in handcuffs.
Another video clip showed people throwing objects at the police, while a third showed a tear gas canister landing amidst a small crowd on a narrow street, sending people running off to escape the fumes.
Reuters verified that the videos were filmed in Guangzhou’s Haizhu district, the scene of Covid-related unrest two weeks ago, but could not determine when the clips were taken or the exact sequence of events and what sparked the clashes.
Social media posts said the clashes took place on Tuesday night and were caused by a dispute over lockdown curbs.
China shouldn’t interfere with “extraordinary” protests against strict Covid curbs that broke out across the country, the US envoy to Beijing said Tuesday in the most detailed comments by a senior US official so far.
“We believe that Chinese people have a right to protest peacefully, they have a right to make their views known,” US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns told the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “That’s a fundamental right around the world -it should be -- and that right should not be hindered with, and it shouldn’t be interfered with.”
In the Chinese city of Zhengzhou shuttered hundreds of buildings and apartment blocks hours after lifting broader lockdown measures, as officials strive to make their Covid controls more targeted in line with Beijing’s directives.
The city, home to Apple’s largest manufacturing site in China, said on Tuesday that it was lifting a lockdown of its main urban areas put in place five days ago as Covid cases climbed. Authorities then issued a lengthy list of buildings that would be declared high risk spanning the greater Zhengzhou region, which means they will continue to be subject to lockdown-style curbs.
Fourth Covid shot
China is considering rolling out a fourth round of Covid vaccines, according to people familiar with the matter, as pressure on the government mounts to move away from the stringent virus restrictions that have made the country a global outlier.
Officials are making plans for the roll-out, though a final decision on timing and vaccine candidates still has to be made, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing government business.
The move is aimed at raising protection levels in its population, the vast majority of whom have never contracted the virus. China appears to be laying the groundwork for accepting wider Covid spread, and a potential reopening after three years of trying to keep the virus out. A fourth shot, already commonplace in other countries, would aid that transition.
A national health commission spokesperson said he was not aware of such plans.
Yet officials face the challenge of persuading people, especially the elderly, to come forward for more shots. In China, only 69% of those aged 60 and above and just 40% of over 80-year-olds have had booster shots. In the US, over 70% of those over 65 have received a first booster, while 44% have already received a second.