China's strict zero-COVID policy spurs huge spike of people seeking to leave

[speak easy]

BEIJING - Following last month's re-election of Xi Jinping as the leader of the Communist Party of China, online searches for ways to leave China exploded. On WeChat alone, more than 60 million people searched for information about leaving the country. A week later, with COVID-19 cases nationwide on the rise, the number rose to 80 million in one day.

China's zero-COVID policy is believed to be Jinping's brainchild. To make matters worse, the man responsible for the disastrous handling of the Shanghai lockdown earlier this year, Li Qiang, was appointed to be the next premier of China. However, criticism of the country's zero-COVID policy continues to swell.

"I’ve never been very interested in politics, but since the beginning of the pandemic, so many outrageous things have happened. The COVID insanity is everywhere. I feel my eyes have been opened, and I can't take it anymore," said Wang, a woman from Shanghai.

Online, people have continued to show their anger, demanding that state-controlled media report the truth about how the lockdown policy has torn people’s lives apart. In addition, several cities have issued apologies for their handling of city lockdowns or have promised to take better care of residents going forward.

https://news.yahoo.com/chinas-strict-zero-covid-policy-181839667.html

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. I wonder if China's government doesn't see COVID as an opportunity

for suppressive social engineering. I would think, by this point, that China would have nearly 100% of the population vaticinated. These draconian, government mandated lockdown policies seem to be a way to learn how to control their population centers.

[Irish_Dem]

2. Yes I think China is using Covid as an opportunity to show off what they think are strengths.

Show the world that autocracies can handle any emergency quickly and efficiently.
Can impose draconian rules on a compliant population.

Show that democracies are slow, cumbersome and indecisive.
Putin installed his US puppets to make sure this is the case.

[roamer65]

3. With the demographic bomb that China faces, very few will get out.

They will force young Chinese to stay.