Despite harsh sanctions, the Chinese are so angry that more and more people are taking to the streets to protest. Their anger is mainly directed at the strict measures of the zero-Covid policy.
In Beijing and other cities with more than a million inhabitants, hundreds of demonstrators dared to rise against the government over the weekend. They chanted ‘Down with the Communist Party! Down with Xi Jinping’ and held up blank white sheets as a sign of suppressed freedom of expression.
Drama at apartment fire
These are the largest protests since the democratic movement of 1989, which were brutally suppressed by the military. The image of a demonstrator facing tanks went around the world at the time.
The current protests were provoked by an apartment fire in the four-million-dollar metropolis of Ürümqi in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang, which claimed at least ten lives on Thursday. Many blame the authorities for hindering the extinguishing and rescue work due to the strict corona measures. So residents were trapped in the fiery hell because of closed doors.
Call for Xi’s resignation
How do you rate the current protests? Are they causing problems for the government? Ralph Weber (47), China expert at the University of Basel, tells Blick: “Protests take place every day in the People’s Republic of China. What distinguishes current events is that in some cases they explicitly demand the resignation of Xi Jinping and yet in some places democracy, the rule of law and freedom of the press.
In addition, the various protests are related to each other. «In Shanghai, reference is made to the apartment fire. Individuals in Beijing show solidarity with detained demonstrators in Shanghai. That’s remarkable,” says Weber.
Hardly a threat to the regime
It is difficult to estimate how much the government will falter, as such dynamics can lead to unexpected developments, says Weber. He says: “A lot is still needed now. We mainly experience spontaneous protests that are poorly coordinated. It’s not a political movement.”
The Chinese party state knows how to act against political movements that rely on consultation and coordinated action. We have decades of experience with this. “And in recent years, the regime has become increasingly authoritarian. There is hardly any room for civil society. Moreover, Xi Jinping is firmly in the saddle of the Communist Party, perhaps even more firmly than ever,” says Weber.
Swiss journalist checked
During the protests, numerous demonstrators were deported. Police also temporarily detained journalists, including a BBC employee who the news channel said had been assaulted. The police also checked Michael Peuker (36), China correspondent for the French-speaking Swiss television RTS, immediately after his live report in Shanghai.
“After their release, the protesters will certainly experience the consequences in everyday life – from the loss of privileges to intimidation measures,” says Ralph Weber. “Anyone who has explicitly blackmailed Xi Jinping or the Communist Party should expect prison sentences. You also have to assume that the demonstrators will experience violence if they are detained or then at the police station.”
Pandemic returns
Despite the rigorous crackdown on the virus, the population of billions is currently being hit by the worst corona wave since the start of the pandemic almost three years ago. The Health Commission reported a record high in the country on Monday with around 40,000 new infections. In Beijing, there were nearly 3,900 cases.
Each infection leads to entire residential areas being cordoned off and all infected people being taken to quarantine hospitals. Many megacities are largely paralyzed.
People suffer from the constant testing, curfews, enforced quarantines, close surveillance by corona apps and contact tracing with which authorities try to get a grip on the easily spreading omicron variants of the virus.
The government has also been criticized as it is clear that since late 2019 authorities have used most of their capacity for continued mass testing and lockdowns. Preparations for a way out of the pandemic were not sufficiently made.