China vows to maintain Xi's 'unswerving zero-COVID' approach

Representatives from China's Standing Committee on Thursday vowed to "unswervingly adhere" to President Xi Jinping's "zero-COVID" policy despite public frustration over measures that have severely hampered both personal mobility and the larger economy.

The seven-member Committee said, "We will protect people's lives and health to the greatest extent and minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development."

China's coronavirus policies are among the strictest in the world and have regularly seen factories, schools, even entire cities locked down for weeks with little or no warning.

'Zero COVID' crushing China's economy

"Zero COVID" requires individuals to test negative each day, bars individuals from cities or villages that have seen one infection over the past week from entering the capital Beijing, and requires foreign visitors to quarantine for 7-10 days upon arrival.

Financial forecasters say China's economy is flagging, with annual growth in 2022 expected to be around 3%, less than half of 2021's 8.1%.

Beijing has given no indication that it will ease restrictions any time soon, and observers expect leadership will maintain its policy until millions of elderly citizens can be vaccinated. That means measures could remain in place until at least next spring.

Frustration over the government's approach has led to rare public protests and clashes with police and healthcare workers. Last week, authorities were also forced to give a rare apology after news of the death of a three-year-old as a result of lockdown enforcement measures became public.

Infections still happening despite 'zero COVID'

New coronavirus infections in China are at their highest level since April, with more than 9,000 cases reported on Thursday.

In the industrial city of Guangzhou, home to 19 million people, authorities urged residents to stay at home when new infections exceeded prior highs for the third straight day. Officials have commenced a massive testing campaign though have so far refrained from ordering the type of lockdown that shut down Shanghai for two months earlier in the year.

Market hopes that China would ease COVID restrictions dashed

Similarly, organizers of the Beijing Auto Show, the biggest car fair in the country, announced they would again postpone the important event until at least next year, saying, "Facing severe challenges for the country's epidemic prevention and control, [we] have decided not to hold the auto show in 2022."

Share prices, which had shot up last week on the Hong Kong exchange in hopes that China may be ready to alter course, fell again on government news to the contrary.

At the meeting of the Standing Committee, chaired by President Xi, members said 20 measures would be enacted with the aim of making the rules less burdensome, but gave no details.

The Committee is made up of the president's allies, appointed to their posts at the Communist Party's recent national party congress, which also saw him confirmed for a third five-year term as the country's leader.

js/aw (AFP, AP, Reuters)