Sunday, 22 Jun 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > World > WRAPUP 4-Shanghai tightens security after rare COVID protests across China
World

WRAPUP 4-Shanghai tightens security after rare COVID protests across China

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
WRAPUP 4-Shanghai tightens security after rare COVID protests across China
SHARE

(Adds ministry comment, protests abroad; paragraphs 5,6,24)

*

Shanghai puts up barriers around weekend protest site

*

No sign of new protests in Beijing, Shanghai on Monday

*

Backlash is a setback for efforts to stamp out virus

*

News of the protests roils global markets

By Casey Hall and Martin Quin Pollard

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Nov 28 (Reuters) – Authorities in Shanghai threw up barriers on Monday around a city centre area where hundreds of people protested over the weekend against stringent COVID-19 measures, as anti-lockdown demonstrations flared across China.

From the streets of Shanghai and the capital, Beijing, to dozens of university campuses, protesters made a show of civil disobedience unprecedented since leader Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago, overseeing the quashing of dissent and setting up an extensive high-tech social surveillance system.

“We hope to end the lockdown,” said 28-year-old Shi at a candlelight vigil in Beijing late on Sunday. “We want to live a normal life. We should all bravely express our feelings.”

There was no sign of new protests on Monday in Beijing or Shanghai.

Asked about widespread anger over China’s zero-COVID policy, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters, “What you mentioned does not reflect what actually happened.

“We believe that with the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and cooperation of the Chinese people, our fight against COVID-19 will be successful.”

The backlash against COVID curbs is a setback for China’s efforts to eradicate the virus, which is infecting record numbers three years after it emerged in the central city of Wuhan.

The zero-COVID policy has kept China’s official death toll in the thousands, against more than a million in the United States, but has come at the cost of confining many millions to long spells at home, bringing extensive disruption and damage to the world’s second-largest economy.

Abandoning it would mean rolling back a policy championed by Xi. It would also risk overwhelming the health system and lead to widespread illness and deaths in a country with hundreds of millions of elderly and low levels of immunity to COVID, experts say.

The protests roiled global markets on Monday, sending oil prices lower and the dollar higher, with Chinese stocks and the yuan falling sharply.

State media did not mention the protests, instead urging citizens in editorials to stick to COVID rules. Many analysts say China is unlikely to re-open before March or April, and needs an effective vaccination campaign before that.

“The demonstrations do not imminently threaten the existing political order, but they do mean the current COVID policy mix is no longer politically sustainable,” analysts at Gavekal Dragonomics wrote in a note.

“The question now is what re-opening will look like. The answer is: slow, incremental and messy.”

BLUE BARRIERS

Late on Sunday, protesters clashed with police in the commercial hub of Shanghai, where its 25 million people were stuck at home in April and May, with security forces taking away a busload of people.

The BBC said police assaulted and detained one of its journalists covering the events before releasing him after several hours. A Reuters journalist was also detained for about 90 minutes on Sunday night, before being released.

The foreign ministry’s Zhao said the BBC reporter did not identify himself as a journalist. The Shanghai government did not comment.

On Monday, the Shanghai streets where protesters gathered were blocked off with blue metal barriers to prevent crowds gathering. Police in high-visibility vests patrolled in pairs, while police cars and motorbikes cruised by.

Shops and cafes in the area were asked to close, a staff member at one told Reuters.

While China’s COVID policy has remained a major source of uncertainty for investors, developments are now also being watched for any sign of political instability, something many investors had not considered in authoritarian China, where Xi recently secured a third leadership term.

Martin Petch, vice president at Moody’s Investors Service, said the ratings agency expected the protests “to dissipate relatively quickly and without resulting in serious political violence”.

“However, they have the potential to be credit negative if they are sustained and produce a more forceful response by the authorities.”

URUMQI FIRE

The catalyst for the protests was an apartment fire last week in the western city of Urumqi that killed 10 people. Many speculated that COVID curbs in the city, parts of which had been under lockdown for 100 days, had hindered rescue and escape, which city officials denied.

Crowds in Urumqi took to the street on Friday. Over the weekend, protesters in cities including Wuhan and Lanzhou overturned COVID testing facilities, while students gathered on campuses across China.

Demonstrations have also been held in at least a dozen cities around the world in solidarity.

Discussion of the protests, as well as pictures and footage, sparked a game of cat-and-mouse between social media users and censors.

In Beijing, large crowds of peaceful people gathered past midnight on Sunday on a city ring road, some holding blank pieces of paper in a symbol of protest.

On Sunday in Shanghai, some protesters briefly chanted anti-Xi slogans, almost unheard of in a country where Xi has a level of power unseen since Mao Zedong’s era.

While anger with the COVID rules simmers, some expressed opposition to people taking to the streets.

“These actions will disturb the public order,” resident Adam Yan, 26, said. “It’s best to believe in the government.”

(Reporting by Martin Pollard and Casey Hall; Writing by Marius Zaharia and Brenda Goh; Editing by Tony Munroe and Clarence Fernandez)

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article China virus protests hit Hong Kong after mainland rallies China virus protests hit Hong Kong after mainland rallies
Next Article China’s Xi faces public anger over draconian ‘zero COVID’ China’s Xi faces public anger over draconian ‘zero COVID’

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

Rihanna, A$AP Rocky Gentle Up Miami Throughout Artwork Basel Amid Whirlwind Journey

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky continued their string of high-profile appearances on Saturday night time, stepping…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin Are Back Together but Still ‘Have Their Differences’: Source

Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin are back together, but there's still work to be done…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Here’s the story: ‘The Masked Singer’ Mummies are TV brothers and ‘TV royalty’

The Mummies on 'The Masked Singer' Season 8. (Photo: Fox)It was A Very Brady Episode…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

UN’s Biodiversity Summit Starts With Gridlock Over Details

(Bloomberg) -- A global biodiversity summit put together by the United Nations got off to…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

US request to UK over Iran would have raised authorized questions, ex-adviser says
World

US request to UK over Iran would have raised authorized questions, ex-adviser says

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Campaigners look to Historic England to save lots of Black British website Bridge Park in London
World

Campaigners look to Historic England to save lots of Black British website Bridge Park in London

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
How efficient was the US assault on Iran’s nuclear websites? A visible information
World

How efficient was the US assault on Iran’s nuclear websites? A visible information

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
RAF base vandalism not sufficient to justify Palestine Motion ban, says ex-minister
World

RAF base vandalism not sufficient to justify Palestine Motion ban, says ex-minister

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?