WH condemns China's protest crackdown, says it will be 'difficult' for 'Zero COVID' to contain virus
White House condemns China’s crackdown on protesters: Biden administration says Beijing will find it ‘difficult’ to contain virus with ‘zero COVID’ plan, continues to push for vaccines and boosters
- The White House National Security Council condemned China for cracking down on protesters opposing the CCP’s ‘Zero COVID’ protocols
- The statement states that it will be “difficult for the PRC to be able to contain this virus through its zero COVID strategy.”
- Instead, he continued to push vaccines and boosters as the way to combat COVID
- Thousands of protesters rose up over the weekend in opposition to Beijing’s ‘Zero COVID’ policies.
- Zero COVID protocols include mass lockdowns, forced quarantines and isolation, and widespread mandatory testing
The White House has condemned China for putting down people protesting its new ‘Zero COVID’ policies and insisted that the United States will not pursue this option.
A Monday statement from the president’s National Security Council insisted that China’s policies will not succeed in “containing this virus.”
The NSC spokesman continued to promote vaccinations and boosters for Americans in the statement.
The Chinese Communist Party is imposing some of the strictest COVID measures in the world under a policy known as “Zero COVID,” which includes mass lockdowns, quarantines or isolations, and widespread testing in areas where cases are reported.
This has led to tens of millions of people being forced to live under some form of lockdown.
“We have said that zero COVID is not a policy that we pursue (sic) here in the United States,” the NSC spokesperson said. “And as we have said, we believe that it will be very difficult for the PRC to be able to contain this virus through its zero COVID strategy.”
The National Security Council condemned China for cracking down on protesters opposing the CCP’s ‘Zero COVID’ protocols
The statement claims that it will be “difficult for the PRC to be able to contain this virus through its zero COVID strategy” and instead continued to push for vaccines and boosters. Pictured: Biden received the jab for the latest COVID-19 booster on October 25, 2022
They also criticized China for putting down protesters who oppose the strict rules.
“We have long said that everyone has the right to peacefully protest, here in the United States and around the world,” they wrote. This includes in the People’s Republic of China.’
The individual said US efforts to contain and stop the spread of the coronavirus are still focused on vaccinating and reinforcing all Americans, as well as keeping testing and treatment widely accessible.
“For us, we are focused on what works and that means using public health tools like: continuing to improve vaccination rates, including boosters and making testing and treatment easily accessible,” the spokesperson said.
Several major Chinese cities, including Shanghai and the capital Beijing, have been rocked by thousands of protesters who have taken to the streets in recent days to protest the government’s ruthless ‘Zero COVID’ policy.
The demonstrations sparked after ten people were killed in an apartment fire in the city of Urumqi, where residents were enduring their third month of total lockdown.
Since then, the protests have broadened to include general anti-government sentiment, and there have been startling reports of citizens calling for the resignation of President Xi Jinping.
Thousands of protesters rose over the weekend in opposition to Beijing’s ‘Zero COVID’ policies, which include mass lockdowns, forced quarantines and isolations, and widespread mandatory testing. Pictured: Protesters hold white sheets of paper, some reading in multiple languages: “I am a white paper.”
Chinese citizens in Beijing on Sunday, November 27, hold papers against censorship and China’s strict zero-COVID measures. Protesters have taken to the streets in several Chinese cities after a deadly apartment fire in Xinjiang province sparked a nationwide protest as many blamed COVID restrictions for the deaths.
US lawmakers speak out against the strict policies as well as the CCP’s effort to crack down on protests.
“The people of China are standing up and demanding freedom, even knowing the great risk of doing so in their country,” Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert tweeted.
‘People are born to be free, not oppressed by government regimes,’ he added along with an encouragement for the people: ‘Keep fighting for freedom!’
Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona tweeted Monday morning: ‘China has had enough of COVID tyranny. These types of draconian blockades are ineffective and break down societies.”
‘The CCP has abused the Chinese people long enough. Covid has been a malign tool of oppression,” wrote far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. ‘It started in Wuhan, it ends in Wuhan. I am praying for these people.
Researchers at Stanford University believe the government is trying to cover up the scale of the protests with accounts of pornography-posting bots that could thwart the spread of information on Twitter.
Social media searches conducted in Chinese for the names of the cities where the anti-lockdown protests broke out revealed an untold number of erotic posts published by Chinese bot accounts.
The CCP blocked Twitter in the country in 2009, but users can still access the platform through a VPN or website proxy service.
BBC journalist was beaten and arrested ‘for his own good to prevent him from catching covid’ while covering protests that rocked China
A BBC journalist covering historic protests against President Xi Jinping’s lockdown rules in China was arrested and beaten by police officers, and Chinese officials later made the bizarre claim that he was detained for his ‘good’ in case he caught Covid in the crowd.
Shocking footage from anti-government protests in Shanghai shows Edward Lawrence, a cameraman for the BBC’s China Bureau, being dragged away by Xi’s officials as he yells “call the consulate now” to a friend.
Police officers beat and kicked Mr. Lawrence and held him in custody for “several hours” before he was released, as Chinese officials attempted to crack down on the media and protesters in the city.
The British journalist said today that at least one local was arrested after they tried to prevent police from beating him during his arrest.
Shanghai police officers tried to dismiss the arrest as being for Mr Lawrence’s “own good”, claiming he was arrested “in case he caught covid in the crowd”. The BBC dismissed the far-fetched explanation as implausible.
The footage also shows the defenseless journalist on the ground with three aggressive officers in high-visibility jackets standing over him and pulling his arms behind his back.
UK Business Secretary Grant Shapps today denounced the officers’ actions as “unacceptable” and “worrying”. He told LBC radio: “No matter what, press freedom must be sacrosanct.”
Dr Alan Mendoza, chief executive of the Henry Jackson Society human rights group in London, told the Mail: “This latest outrage shows the true face of the Chinese Communist Party regime by attacking all the values the West holds dear.”
“Freedom of the media is essential to our system and the Chinese crackdown on it needs the strongest rebuttal from the UK Prime Minister. This is not the time for you to wobble.
China is facing its biggest anti-government demonstrations since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, with protests in at least seven cities over the country’s strict zero-Covid rules.
The catalyst for the protests was an apartment fire last week in the western city of Urumqi that killed ten people. Many speculated that the city’s Covid sidewalks, parts of which had been blocked for 100 days, had hampered rescue and escape, which city officials denied.
The largest of the demonstrations took place in Shanghai, home to 26 million residents, and many also boldly demanded that President Xi step down.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry insisted today that the government ‘the fight against Covid-19 will be a success’.
