Protests in China: What to know as Xi Jinping maintains covid controls

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5 min read . Updated: 30 Nov 2022, 07:24 PM IST Chun Han Wong, The Wall Street Journal

People hold white sheets of paper in protest of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, after a vigil for the victims of a fire in Urumqi, as outbreaks of the coronavirus disease continue in Beijing, China (Photo: Reuters) — People hold white sheets of paper in protest of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, after a vigil for the victims of a fire in Urumqi, as outbreaks of the coronavirus disease continue in Beijing, China (Photo: Reuters)

The demonstrations against the country’s ’zero Covid’ policy pose a significant challenge to the Communist Party

Public resentment against Chinese leader Xi Jinping‘s zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19 flared into large protests in major cities across the country over recent days, a dramatic outburst of defiance fueled by frustration over the economic and social costs of recurrent lockdowns and disruptions to ordinary citizens’ daily lives. Days after they began, the protests started prompting expressions of solidarity near Chinese diplomatic missions and on university campuses around the world.